W A S P
by BML Hillen-Keene
Summary: At the age of twenty two Gordon Tracy was a member of the International Rescue, after an illustrius career in WASP, an impossible feat, but since when did Gordon Tracy ever believe in the impossible? Continued.
1. Overheard

_Disclaimer: No ownie, at least, not Gordon or the rest of the Tracy's, Commander Shore or any other characters from those two shows. However some of the characters are mine, (Jenna and Leo super specifically) feel free to borrow them, just let me know._

_A/N: Ok, for those who know me, and have been waiting for an update for forever first let me apologise. It wasn't that I forgot this story; I just had lots of other things to do, so it was left. However, I have spent a whole afternoon fixing up my grammar (it's not perfect, but I tried). Etc. and writing the next chapter, as well as planning out the rest of the story. So I will be updating, but not frequently. That doesn't mean I won't eventually finish this story. I will. But as they say, _**All good things come to those who wait**_, so I implore you to wait just a little longer. Only 9 more chapters to go before the end._

_Now, onto the story._

**W A S P**

_Overheard_

Gordon made his way dejectedly into the office; maybe he had gone a little overboard this time. The principal had even called his father in. he had to be the only sixteen year old to be called to the principals office six times a day- a major achievement in it's own right, but definitely not good now that his father had been called in.

"Go on in Gordon." Mrs Samson smiled.

Gordon gave her his usual grin and leaned on the desk. "Is it bad? Should I take precautions? Do you still have that can of spray paint I gave you? I will go down fighting!" he said loudly and dramatically.

"Oh go on Gordon, get in there!" she laughed.

Gordon heaved a theatrical sigh and went down the little corridor to the principal's office. He paused outside the door and smiled wickedly. Might as well know what they were discussing before he went in, to get his alibi right. He pushed the door open a crack, not really noticeable to those inside, he moved closer and listened.

"--really must learn some control." The principal finished.

Jeff Tracy heaved a long-suffering sigh. "I know that Mr. Smith, but there's very little I can do about it, I've tried everything, he's got four brothers to compete against, it's his way to stand out."

"I understand that Mr. Tracy, but this uncontrollable desire of his to cause trouble, well, it's holding him back. He won't make it in life if he doesn't learn to control himself. I mean, he set up a chemistry experiment to explode on the teacher. Mr. Tracy, I'm sorry but I can't have such a disruptive student here, he distracts both the teachers and his fellow pupils."

"So you're saying you're expelling him?" Jeff sighed, resigned.

"No, I'm giving him a suspension of two weeks, if he hasn't settled himself by then; well… he has one last chance after this Mr. Tracy. It's really all I can do."

Jeff nodded. "All right."

Gordon's eyes widened… he was getting suspended? But, but… why? And why was his father agreeing with it? Gordon pulled away from the door, frowning. His father had sounded so resigned, like he agreed with the principals assessment… maybe his father thought he wouldn't make it in life either.

Scott, Virgil and John had all been model pupils, always showed up to class, always did their homework. Went on to university-or in Scott's case went straight into the air force. Virgil and John were in university, John was headed for a career as an astronaut, Virgil was probably going to be a composer or something. Alan… well Alan mostly kept up with school, unless Gordon distracted him.

So what did that mean?

Gordon had never like school, it was just so boring, nothing held his attention; he had to do something to liven it up. He had never really thought about what he wanted to be. His only hobby was really swimming and playing pranks. He glanced back at the office. Principal Smith was right, he wasn't going to make it in life-sure people liked a joker, but one who had nothing else going for them…

Damn.

What all this pointed to was that Gordon was going to end up a drop out-a suspension wouldn't make him any better at school, he had tried studying once, all he had succeeded in doing was sending his brain into overload and flunking all his exams. And he wouldn't be able to sit still in class. He had a modicum of self control, but not that much!

"Gordon?"

Gordon jumped, startled out of his thoughts. He turned slightly to see his father staring at him in abject disappointment. It shocked Gordon; he could remember seeing that look before, so why was it suddenly taking on a different meaning?

Dammit! This is what thinking deeply did to him; though his brothers would laugh if they heard he'd been thinking at all. Of course he thought--just not often, because if he did he would usually realise something he didn't want to know. Like the fact that he was actually a disappointment to his father.

"Gordon--come on, we're going home." Jeff said shortly.

Gordon nodded silently and followed his father out of the school and to the car, still thinking, unable to stop himself now that he'd started. He was a disappointment to his father-right. So did that also make him a disappointment to the rest of his family? Did Scott, Virgil or John see him as that? Was he going to turn out to be the reason Alan flunked school? Was he forever going to be known as the Tracy dropout?

"Dad?" he asked suddenly in the tense silence of the car, fidgeting in his seat. "Are you disappointed?" he didn't know why he asked, he hoped his father would say no, then he could lay all these really depressing thoughts to rest and move on with his life.

However, his father wasn't inclined to be accommodating today it seemed. "Let's talk about this when we get home."

"I'll take that as a yes then." Gordon said quietly, looking out the window. Mentally preparing himself for the lecture he would get as soon as they got home, and the forced imprisonment in the house while his father made him do work, catch up on assignments he had no clue about, work he hadn't listened to, and probably write apology letters to the school. Then would come his father trying to get him to talk about why he acted the way he did. Then when he got frustrated Scott would be called in, they would come to blows over it; he and Scott had always been the furthest apart in everything. John would then step in to try and smooth things over, and then he would try to convince him to try harder at school.

It would go on and on. These two weeks were going to be hell. But even more so because he knew he'd disappoint them in the end. He felt the faint prick of tears in the back of his eyes, and it surprised him--he hadn't cried since he was nine and had broken his arm. He blinked them back. He wasn't going to be a failure and a disappointment, he just wasn't. He would do whatever it took to prove it. And if that meant pulling up his grades, then by god he would try.

X

Two days later his head was aching, he honestly couldn't do the work. It just didn't make sense--it was just as mind numbingly boring on the page as it was when the teachers taught it. He couldn't do it. He honestly couldn't. He groaned and dropped his head to land on the book. The lecture had gone as expected; the forced imprisonment to the house, with no pool time was killing him slowly. He had promised his father he would do all the assignments, and work really hard and pull his grades up, stop pulling pranks. Everything.

But he couldn't do it. It was frustrating him to the point of tears. He pushed the books to the other side of his desk and pulled over his laptop and switched it on. He was going to look up jobs, ones that wouldn't disappoint his family. So far he had found nothing short of joining the air force like Scott that didn't require super grades, and even that required more than he would ever get.

When the laptop loaded he searched a few sites. His headache lessening just a little. Finally he gave up and just typed in 'swimming' and 'job', up popped a number of sites, swimming instructors, swimming instructors, swimming instructors, and swimming instructors-and oh, oh-more swimming instructors. He sighed and scrolled down the page, and stopped.

Navy.

Interesting.

He clicked on it. He read all the information, and the more he read the more he like the idea. It appealed to him because of the water activity, it was very physical, something he could work with, and some engineering, he could fix engines, his father had taught them all when they were younger, and he enjoyed it. And there were further options; he could get into the Navy Seals--oh, the elite--that he liked. There was no way he could be called a disappointment if he was a Navy Seal. And it would impress Dad and Scott because they were military people, yes, that would do.

And wait… he could join at sixteen.

He blinked at the screen for a second. He could join now? That meant he didn't have to continue school. That would be a blessing.

He read on.

Damn! He needed his father's signature. He sat back and thought for a moment. He could find a way round it. His father would never approve of his leaving school. He had to find a way round it, because if he flunked school he really would be a disappointment, and he would never make it in life.

Question was, how could he get round it. If he was to do it he would need an entirely new identity, he was going to prove a point-he could make it in the world without any help from anyone-and if he didn't have to do it by reading really boring subjects for school he was going for it. He fell into planning.

When his father checked in on him later to find him scribbling, typing and working furiously he left in wonder, Gordon was actually taking his school work seriously. That last lecture must have really worked.

X

Gordon smiled as he made his way home on Saturday afternoon of his first week. All that research had paid off granted he had gotten more than one headache doing it; he really couldn't focus on it without serious effort, even if he liked it. But it had paid off. In his bag he now had an undetectable forgery birth certificate and passport that made him 18 years old, old enough to join the Navy without parental consent. It had taken a long while to find a forgers that would do it right. But it was done, and he was nearly set.

All he needed to do now was get at enough money to get him away from here and hide him until he could safely join without his father finding out-also in his bag was a bottle of permanent black hair dye. He was taking no chances on this.

Very soon he would stop being Gordon Tracy and would become Gordon Miller, the 18 year old soon to be Navy operative! He would prove his point then let his family know how and why he had.

He supposed they would be angry with him for running away like he was planning, but it just had to be done. Yeah, the idea of not being able to just contact them whenever he wanted to talk was a bit of a downer, but he was dead set on the idea, and like his father and brothers when he set his mind to something nothing could get him to change it. It applied across the board; except where school was concerned, which drove his father crazy, it was like a mental block. He couldn't explain it, he just couldn't do it.

But this, this he could do.

Tonight he would have to start working on the money. He needed to be ready for the first available opportunity. For that he needed to plan.

X

The following week passed quickly, and it was very soon the Monday he was to go back to school. His father left him and Alan into school, but had kept him back a moment.

"Gordon, I'm glad you've started to put in the effort for school." He said. "I just hope it's not too late." He muttered quietly, though Gordon heard, and his decision reaffirmed itself again. He had almost not taken the bag with him this morning--now he was glad he had. "Now go in there and be good. I don't need to hear you've been expelled. Don't disappoint me son."

Gordon looked up at him, straight into his eyes, and Jeff was taken aback by the pure determination in his son's eyes. Though later he said he should have known he was up to something.

"I won't disappoint you dad." He said seriously, then with a grin he turned and went into the school. As he made his way to his form room his grin faded. "I won't ever disappoint you again."

X

Two hours later he was on a bus headed for some little out of the way town in the middle of nowhere, where he would dye his hair before catching another bus to New York, once there he would find the recruiting centre. He was fairly sure they would have one there.

He settled back in his seat and smiled. The school wouldn't realise he was gone until second form after lunch which was another two hours away, by which time he would be on his way to New York-if all went well. The school wouldn't inform his father until after second form, so by the time they realised he'd skipped out after form class he would be far too far away for them to stop him.

He would have to keep a low profile for a while. He had left a note on his laptop telling his family he was leaving to prove a point and he wouldn't be returning until he had done it. Telling them not to bother looking, that he would be fine.

They would look though, he knew they would--hence the hair dye, and later some more precautions. But from now on he wasn't Gordon Tracy, he was Gordon Miller, an 18 year old boy from California, stuck living with his elderly grandparents in Kansas, hence the accent, because both his parents were dead, he had flunked out of school at 15, taken odd jobs around before finally deciding to join the Navy because he liked the idea.

He had taken every precaution at home as well. There were no papers lying round detailing what he was intending to do; he'd wiped his laptop clean. So he was safe on that front, he was confident they would never find out until he had won a medal and was on TV or something. There was a very great air of adventure surrounding this endeavour, and he was really looking forward to it.

He watched the scenery flash past and relaxed. Out of the bounds of his family, away from the pressures of keeping up with his older brothers, of being a model older brother himself he felt freer than he had ever felt. Yes, he had made the right decision to do this. It was as much to prove a point to himself as it was to prove it to his family.

He could do this.

He could make it.

Without any help.

He would make it.

X


	2. The Navy

_Gordon is about to try his luck with the Navy. Review when your done._

_The Navy_

"Righ', 'ere's yer form kid, take it on throu' ta the clerks." The man said, his sharp grey eyes taking in Gordon's black hair, bright blue eyes (he had bought the contacts a few days before) and his half cheeky smile. Gordon accepted his form back with a nod and made his way to the door the man had indicated. First base achieved. He walked past the other five men and two women who were waiting to be called up. All he had to do was get his story and all his certificates past the clerks trained to detect lies and he would be half way there. Then he figured there would be an interview with some high-ranking official person, and then if he got past them he was in.

He schooled his face into the look of blank innocence he always used when he really wanted to get away with something and went in the door. He made his way up to the desk and waited for the woman to notice him. When she looked up he smiled winningly. "Hi, I was sent through." He said.

She raised an eyebrow to him and smiled back, thinking to herself that he seemed a little young. "Where's your parents kid?" she asked.

He frowned at her before laughing shortly. "Ah, so you're going to comment on my age too. Great." He smiled. "Gordon Miller." He said, setting his papers on the desk.

She took them and read through them. "Eighteen huh?" she asked, looking up at him disbelievingly.

"You're not the first to think that--it's a curse looking as young as I do." He smiled, quelling the nervousness that was growing within him. This would work, all he had to do was keep his cool. Keep his cool. Which under her scrutiny he was beginning to lose.

"Right." She said finally, looking back down at the page. "Can I have your birth certificate, and your passport if you have one." She said, holding out a hand.

He handed them across to her, then rubbed his sweaty palm on his trousers. This had to work, otherwise it would prove once and for all that he was a failure. He watched her read it very carefully, searching for any hint of a forgery. They had to be careful, he understood that, he just hoped they wouldn't go overboard and find him out. He was pretty sure his father would be livid with him if he was carted back home by the police for trying to sneak his way into the navy.

"Ok, everything seems to be in order." The woman said, bringing his thoughts back to the present. "If you'd take a seat over there the captain will speak to you in a bit to see if you're going to be good enough for us." She nodded towards a set of seat, two of which were occupied by large heavily muscled men who looked like either ex-cops or escaped convicts, he couldn't quite decide. He smiled at the woman before going over and sitting down.

He lifted the newspaper that was sitting on the table, a sad smile appeared on his face at the front cover. His own picture stared back at him, grinning happily. It was from a family photo a year ago, when their father had taken them all out to a little island for two weeks of camping and survival. Gordon had had a blast, his father had often said he was going to buy the island he liked it that much.

As he had guessed his picture had been in every paper by the next evening, with the words 'Gordon come home' in really big letters beneath it, as if he couldn't read it. By the next day most of the papers had got interviews with his family. He had known they would be worried, but reading it made it seem so much more real. So he had avoided reading the papers, he knew if he did he would give in and go home.

He turned the page and started reading about some film stars new diet, ignoring the two men talking about past experiences in this type of thing, and how they were sure to get in. an hour later he was called into a little office. A man in full military uniform sat behind a desk, he motioned for him to sit.

Gordon sat, and waited.

"Why do you want to be part of the Navy Mr. Miller?" the man asked, his tone cool, detached.

Gordon didn't like that tone. It was the kind of tone Scott used if he said he was going to do something-like when he had said he would get an Olympic medal at the last Olympics--he hadn't of course, he had pulled a muscle in his arm because he had practiced too hard. Of course Scott only ever used the tone as a joke. This time it was real.

He levelled his gaze on the man and said evenly, his voice every bit as cool, but with an underlying passion that made detachment impossible. That question had been a challenge, and he would be damned if he wouldn't accept it and win. "I want to be part of it because I know I can do it."

The man remained silent for a few moments, contemplating him. Gordon looked back, he wasn't about to give in under the weight of that stare.

"Indeed…" the man said finally, leaning forward to place his elbows on the table, his fingers steepled before him as he regarded Gordon. "So you feel you can complete training and become part of the Navy."

"Yes, sir." He said, his voice respectful yet defiant.

The man studied him again. "You can go. You'll get a call within a few days. There are a lot of other people vying to become part of the Navy, we can't take them all. You'll know if you've been chosen within a few days.

Gordon blinked at him for a moment. That was the whole interview? What the-? He frowned slightly, but he got up and left. As he passed the woman he had spoken to earlier he saw her smile.

"Your interview was quick." She said, a knowing smile playing at her lips.

Gordon nodded. "Yeah, yeah it was." He said distractedly as he made his way past and out. Once he was on the street he let out a huge breath and sighed. The interview had been too short, that meant that either the man hadn't been impressed and just wanted him out of there, or… well, he didn't think he was all that impressive to make a Navy Captain want to take him on board without a proper interview. He sighed. He supposed he would just have to wait and see.

He started back towards the motel he was staying in.

X

Four days later he could be found in his motel room jumping on the bed in typical teenage excitement-he was in! Third base had been reached-he was almost home! In two days he would be going to the training facility with the other recruits, and in six months he would be a Navy operative! He jumped off the bed and with a huge smile he pulled a notebook out of his bag along with a pen and started writing.

This was how he was keeping his family updated-maybe one day he would send it to them, to let them know just how well he was doing on his own. It also served to make him feel a little less guilty to think that his family would one day read this. He figured they did have a right to know what was going on. He just couldn't afford for them to find out before he had a chance to prove himself, because he knew they'd come to get him and he'd never get the chance.

When he was done he stuffed the notebook back into his bag and stared round the sparse room--what could he do to celebrate this great achievement? He couldn't afford to go out much, just in case someone recognised him, by whatever chance, he couldn't be stopped, not so close. So what could he do? He climbed back onto the bed and with a grin started bouncing again.

X

"MILLER!" The lieutenant bellowed across the firing range. "Lock and load!"

Gordon's hands moved swiftly as he loaded the gun, snapped the shaft closed and aimed, waiting for the command…

"FIRE!"

He fired, half a second later the bullet hit the target dead on, he snapped the safety on and swung the gun down. He turned with a grin to a fellow cadet, who gave him the thumbs up before the lieutenant came close enough to reprimand him.

"Nicely done Miller." The lieutenant said, nodding. "Not your best, but we'll get you there. Practice Miller, I want to see you on the range every night until I'm fully satisfied.

Gordon nodded. "Yes sir."

"Right you lot, get back to your dorms-inspection in half an hour!"

All twenty of them saluted and turned to go back to their dorms. Gordon fell into step with Leo Mc Quire and Jenna Harnet, the two youngest after himself-though they didn't know that.

"Nice shot Gordo." Jenna grinned.

"Yeah-wish I could shoot that good at 900m, I'm lucky if I hit the blasted thing at all." Leo complained.

Gordon shrugged. "All that practice with my granddad's gun is just paying off." He smiled. "I've know how to shoot from I was fourteen."

Leo whistled. "So you got a head start. Thanks Gordo-you've just made me feel really dumb."

Gordon playfully thumped his arm. "Oh come on-you know your better at all the communication stuff Leo, don't start-"

"And the code breaking." Jenna added.

"Oh yeah!" Gordon groaned. "I still can't work out that last one. Too much concentration." He shuddered dramatically.

Leo laughed. "Just watching you try to crack a code gives me a headache--you concentrate on them way too hard."

"Gives me a bloody headache." Gordon muttered, then smiled. "Anybody up for a swim after inspection?" he asked cheerfully, his eyes lighting up at the thought of a swim in the huge pool they had underground beside the gym.

"Sure Gordo." Jenna said, "Meet you there in half an hour?"

"Fine by me!" Gordon said, waving as she broke away and to her own dorms. He and Leo dropped into comfortable silence. He liked that about Leo, you never had to talk just for the sake of it around him. In fact, he liked everything about this place--well, apart from the code cracking--he still didn't understand why he had learn about it when all it did was give him a headache. In the whole three weeks he had been here he had reached the top three in physical training, shooting and swimming, beaten only by two very adept and accomplished men who had transferred from the army. So he was quite proud of that.

He hadn't had too much time to think about his family, the training had started on the first day and was the most intensive and exhilarating feeling he had ever felt. Granted he went to bed exhausted and woke up sore, but there was never any time to think about it.

X

Gordon strained as he pulled himself over the wall, catching one of the ropes as he swung his legs over and started down. He landed with a jarring thud that sent pain shuddering through his tired legs. Three of his team-mates started moving off, leaving him and another. He brought his gun up and cast a look round their surroundings. Building to the left-darkened windows, possible attack from there-closer to them were some crates, cover. 400m ahead and to the right was a water way; an escape route if needed. Straight ahead was the target.

The last of their team dropped over the wall beside him. He looked forward to his other three team-mates, slowly making their way across the open space. He started forward, keeping his eyes trained out for an attack. They needed to get through this, they had to reach the target.

He saw the gun barrel snake out of a window and turned quickly and fired, hearing a yelp. The three ahead of them broke into a run. He and the other two quickly followed as more gun shots followed. He felt a sudden dead weight hit him from behind , he quickly twisted aside as he fell and rolled into a crouch, he gun raised and he pushed himself into a full fledged run towards his team mates. He skidded behind the crates they were pinned behind--thanking whoever was looking out for him that he hadn't got hit.

"We're stuck!" someone cursed.

"We need to get the target out of here, and fast, we only have five minutes left--Miller?" the woman turned, handing him a package.

Gordon accepted it with a nod. He knew what he had to do, it wasn't surprising really he had been picked.

"It's a long tunnel Miller, can you do it?" the woman asked him seriously.

Gordon grinned and tucked the package into a pouch on his belt. "Cover me." He put his back to the crates, holding his gun close to his chest, took a deep breath, and at the first ebb in shots he broke cover and ran hell for leather to the water way. It was a very long tunnel, with no airway at all in it. He took a deep breath as he reached the edge and dived.

Once the water closed over him Gordon was in his element, with two swift kicks he was in the tunnel. He had about three minutes before his air ran out, and he didn't know what obstacles where in this tunnel. He propelled himself deeper inside, he needed to get through and quickly. He twisted past obstacles with a grace that would have left the fish in shame. There was a reason he liked water. His lungs began a slow burn, he hadn't taken in enough oxygen after his run to last him.

He didn't know how far he had come, but he could feel that the end of the tunnel was too far away, he let his intuition guide him through the water towards the end. Finally he could see the faint light filtering through the water at the other end. But his lungs had used up all the air. He was swimming with nothing. The burning had faded to a dullness he could barely feel anymore, he kicked out one last time, drawing from reserves he didn't know he possessed and finally broke out of the tunnel and was suddenly in water flooded with light. He was out.

He broke the water and gasped in a deep breath, he felt hands pull him up and onto a boat. He was pulled in gently and set up with his back against the side.

"Miller?" the lieutenant said, his tone concerned.

Gordon fumbled for a moment with his belt and pulled out the package and handed it over. He looked up at the Lieutenant with a tired smile. "Mission complete sir."

The lieutenant took the package and moved to sound a horn, calling the training session to an end, and turned the boat round and back to shore. When they got there Gordon was pulled up out of the boat and into a fierce hug by Jenna.

"We thought you weren't going to make it! There was no way you had enough air after that run." She said, her tone belying her worry.

"I did run out before I hit the end of the tunnel." Gordon admitted breathlessly.

"You're a fish, aren't you Gordon." Leo said in awe.

Gordon grinned and leaned hard on Leo to keep upright. "Dammit I'm tired." He muttered, rubbing his eyes.

The lieutenant came to stand in front of him. "Good work Miller, consider yourself passed."

Gordon looked up at him in surprise. "You mean… I'm done?"

The lieutenant nodded. "You're through. You've proved yourself." The man placed a hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations."

Gordon grinned. He'd done it. He was through. He was Home!

X

"You've all proven yourselves good enough to be part of the Navy. So you go on today to join one of the most elite of organisations--some of you may even become Navy Seal's. You will each be presented with a certificate to prove you've completed all necessary training." The commander said loudly to the twenty cadets lined up waiting.

Gordon scanned the row, he had been asked to step up beside his two lieutenant trainers. He couldn't work out why, but he had done so. However, everyone else seemed to know why, he kept getting knowing smiles from Leo and Jenna. He turned his attention back to the commander as he started calling out names and those called went up to get their certificates. It went right through the names, but his was never called.

"And finally, we have the award for the best overall cadet, who has proven themselves through all the challenges we have set. And I think you will all agree he deserves it. Gordon Miller, step forward please."

Gordon was frozen in place. He actually couldn't move, his entire brain had shut down.

"Come on Fish!" Leo called suddenly, using the nickname he would forever be known by. His voice spurred Gordon into action and he made his way up to the podium to get his special shield that spoke a thousand volumes. He accepted it still in shock. The commander smiled at him and shook his head.

"Your team-mates have asked me to give you this as well." The man said with a secretive smile, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. He reached under the speaker stand and pulled out a paper bag and handed it to Gordon.

Gordon took it and reached inside and pulled out…

He started laughing, his shoulder's shaking with the effort to hold it in. he turned to his fellow cadets and grinned and waved the fish beanie baby at them before leaving the podium to join them on the ground. He got so many pats on the back it hurt, and the party that followed was better than any he had been to before, and he had been to his share over the past six months.

Later that night as he sat alone, listening to the revels of his friends he looked at the shield and the beanie baby and smiled.

He'd done it.

He'd done it.

X


	3. Navy Seals

_The First real life encounter with the life of a Navy operative. (don't be offended by my lack of knowledge. I make most stuff up.)_

_Navy Seals_

"We have a group of terrorists on this island--" a slide of the island projected a picture onto the screen behind the commanding officer. "--We have to go in, disable all heavy duty weapons and destroy all other weapon stores. It will have to be done quickly and silently. The Seals will be going in first; we follow up when we're given the signal. Is everyone clear?"

Every head in the room nodded. Gordon studied the picture of the island and the weapons stores marked on it, committing it to memory. This was his first mission as a real Navy man. He had been surprised when he had been chosen to accompany the group of seasoned troops, but apparently that shield he had been given at the facility meant he could be chosen for missions like this. He knew it wasn't common practice to put such a raw recruit on a mission like this.

"Right, you have an hour to get prepared--go."

Gordon got up and made his way out, but paused when he heard a voice behind him say. "Look at the little fish, he's all geared up and ready to go. He'll probably balk at first blood." There was a short laugh.

Gordon felt his temper rise; he spun round to face the two men with a glare. "I wouldn't be so sure of it if I were you."

The man who had spoken raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, cocky little bugger aren't you. Heard you got the shield. How I don't know. You're too young and skinny, I'm surprised they let you in at all."

Gordon's eyes narrowed and he took a step towards the man-granted he was older and stronger than his brothers were, but Gordon had never been one to back down from a challenge, or an insult, all they did was fuel his desire to succeed. He smiled wickedly at the man. "I think all those traits you don't like will be what keeps me alive a lot longer than you." Then he turned on his heel and left.

The man shook his head and smiled slightly. "Cocky little bugger."

X

An hour and a half later they were on a hydrofoil heading for the island. Gordon was crouched at the front of the boat. Looking out in front he could see the faint lights from the two Navy Seals boat go out. They were getting close. Ten minutes later they slowed and stopped, waiting for the signal, three distinct flickers of light, then he and five others would drop into the sea and swim to the island to set up a perimeter while the other boats docked. Then they would all start up towards the weapon base and commence operations there.

He put his goggles on, holding the air nozzle close, ready to hook it on and drop into the freezing waters. And there was the signal. He dropped backwards into the water, did an underwater spin before heading towards shore. He was the first one there, he crept up onto the beach as silently as he could, gun held steady in one hand as he pulled off the goggles and the air tank. He let them drop to the sand and made his way up to the main path, where a Seal was waiting. He heard the others arrive and take up position.

Five minutes later everyone was on the beach and readying to go. The Navy Seal nodded and took off, leading the way swiftly. Gordon followed instinctively; knowing the rest of the troop was coming close behind. They arrived at the weapons base ten minutes later and slipped silently in the already open gates and into the courtyard. Gordon's gaze swept the compound and he didn't like it, there were too many open spaces and not enough cover. He pushed his worry aside and moved forwards with his troop.

Suddenly gunfire ripped the air, Gordon ducked and ran for the nearest cover, he felt a stinging pain in his arm but he ignored it. He slammed behind a broken wall and took a deep breath before snapping the safety off his gun and turning and firing up towards where the bullets were coming from. It was a flurry of noises and movement as everyone struggled to find cover. Guns were going off left right and centre. Gordon's eyes narrowed and he focused only on the faint sheen of the gun barrels firing from above. He ignored the grunts of the wounded, and the cries of the dying. He focused, he aimed and he fired.

One down.

He moved his aim across, picking off his targets with single-minded determination.

Two down.

Three down.

Four down.

A body slammed beside him, the gun was turned on the intruder in a split second, then straight back to pick out another gun barrel as he recognised the man who had insulted him earlier. "Fancy meeting you here." he said lightly, aiming and pulling the trigger. He pulled the gun back and turned to reload quickly.

The man gave him a half smile. "Yeah--you're a good shot kid."

Gordon gave him his infamous half mischievous half innocent smile before turning back to the battle. "Yeah… yeah I am, how about giving me a hand here."

The man nodded, turned and started firing.

There was no let up in the firing. It was one foray after the next. There seemed to be more terrorists than originally thought. Gordon and the man, whose name was Bill Saxton he learned during another reloading, were slowly making their way over towards a store room that was situated just under the enemy. Gordon was hoping none of the seals or their men where in there-he intended to blow it sky high-eliminating one store and the danger would be abated a little, enough to get the rest of the stores destroyed at least.

Along the way they had picked up three others, Gordon took point, he could see the enemy had all their side pinned down under automatic gunfire. They had passed the danger zone, too close to the building for any bullets from the upper levels to hit them.

Bill took one side of the door, one of the other men the other, Gordon went head on, kicking the door in and shooting the man behind it before moving in. they secured the room quickly and moved on. Four other rooms followed in much the same manner before they reached the store. Once inside Gordon, crouched low to avoid detection whispered.

"Everyone got a detonation device? Set it for three minutes then get the hell out. It's the best we can do. Once we take out this building our guys will have a better chance of getting the other stores."

The four others nodded and moved off. Gordon slunk along the rows of guns and bullets, keeping low, his gun ready. He swept the area around him. Around the next corner he saw one of the enemy. He straightened a bit and moved out. He couldn't shoot someone in the back. The noise he had made caused the man to turn and pull a knife. Now, without hesitation Gordon brought his gun to bear and pulled the trigger, but the man took the bullet in the shoulder and just kept coming, knocking Gordon to the ground, and knocking his gun away.

Gordon struggled with the knife, keeping it away from his chest by barely an inch. The two combatants rolled, each trying to get the upper hand. But the man was stronger and Gordon was pinned all too easily. But he didn't give up; as the knife pressed closer to his chest he did the only thing he could think of. He bucked his hips and twisted to the left, throwing the man off balance, letting him slide out of reach. He grabbed for his gun and turned back with it just in time to pull the trigger as the man lunged at him. Blood blossomed on the mans chest and he slumped forward. Gordon scrambled to his feet, he looked round quickly, seeing one of the men he had come in with running out the door-that meant he probably had only a minute to get out.

He dropped all his explosives, scrambled on top of the boxes and proceeded to jump from one to the other towards the door. He took a wild leap as he reached the last box, skidding out of the room just as the first explosion rocked the building. He raced through the rooms they had secured back out side as more explosions made the foundations shudder.

He barrelled out the door and dived for the nearest cover as the building collapsed. Before the dust had settled he was climbing to his feet, enegerized beyond belief. He ducked down beside his team-mates, grinning wildly, the grin faded a little when he realised who one of the three other men was talking to-a Navy Seal… actually, now that he looked closer, the man was a bloody Navy Seal! So where the other two! And he had ordered them about… oh was he going to be in trouble.

"We're heading for the next store house-take these and come on." The captain said, tossing a bag of explosives to Gordon. He caught them and looked up in confusion. But it was short lived as he scrambled up to follow the four Navy Seals closely. The second store went up much the same way. The three others all went up around the same time after that. Separated from the rest of his unit, his radio bust from the bullet that had grazed his shoulder earlier he did the only thing he could think to do, he followed the Navy Seals as they rounded up the last terrorists and hauled them back down to the boats.

X

Gordon stood sharply to attention in the commander's office. He had been called in as soon as he had arrived. He had barely had an hours sleep on the way back, he was grimy, dirty, bloody and he needed a shower, and fast. But he kept his gaze focused levelly on the commander.

"Miller. What happened on the island?"

Debriefings. He had a feeling he was going to hate debriefings. It reminded him most annoyingly of his father and his lectures. "We were under heavy fire sir when we reached the base, pinned down really."

"What did you do?"

"Firstly I was just picking off some of the shooters from the upper windows. I was joined by Bill Saxton at some point during this. We started making our way closer to the building sir-to the munitions store."

"I see. Which of you decided to do this?"

Gordon thought for a moment. "Neither sir, I think, it was in the heat of battle. The only thought in my head at the time was taking out the munitions store, because the resulting explosion would take out the shooters, which would leave the way open for the other stores to be hit. Sir." He said after a minute.

"Who was with you when you took out the first store?"

"Bill Saxton and three Navy Seal's sir." He replied promptly. "I didn't get their names sir."

"Who was in command?"

"Emm… I think I may have been sir. I just told them to set the explosives and they did. I didn't realise they were Seals until afterwards."

"I see…"

The questions continued for another ten minutes before he got to leave and have his much needed shower. As he made his way back to his bunk he wondered just how much trouble he was in for ordering around the elite of the Navy. He hoped he wouldn't get thrown out. Not when he had found something he was good at. He sighed deeply.

X

"I… they… emm… sir, is this some kind of joke?" he finally asked disbelievingly.

"No Miller, this is not a joke." The commander said.

"But sir, you can't be serious--the Navy Seal's want me? It's not possible, I mean, I'm only--" he hesitated briefly. "Eighteen, sir. I haven't even been here a month, I've only been on one mission sir, that's hardly enough time for the Navy Seals to have decided they want me."

"Miller, I have the request papers, they feel you showed significant bravery and foresight during the last mission. Indeed, without your actions our troops would never have gotten those munitions stores and we would have lost more men than we did. You spent most of that mission among the Seals, and they have decided they want you. Don't turn down the opportunity Miller, it may never come again."

Gordon sagged slightly. "You're serious? They actually want me?"

The man pushed over the papers and gestured for Gordon to read them. Gordon did, and sure enough, there was his presumed name on the sheet. The Navy Seals, the elite of the Navy wanted him to join their ranks. He looked over at the commander, and straightened quickly. "Thank you sir." He said, shock very evident in his voice.

The commander smiled. "Congratulations Miller, I don't think we've had a Navy seal so young in a long time."

You've never had one this young. Gordon thought to himself with a snicker. He was told to report to the head of Navy Seal operations at 1500 hours, then dismissed. He made his way down to the mess hall, in a daze.

"Hey, Gordo-you ok man?" Jenna asked, she and Leo had been waiting a few corridors down for him. "Gordo?"

"Everything ok Fish? They're not chucking you right? You're still with us, right?" Leo asked.

Gordon turned to them, his eyes dancing in excitement. "I'm a Navy Seal; the request orders just came through. I'm an honest to god Navy Seal!" he started laughing suddenly, overwhelmed by the notion.

Jenna and Leo watched him in concern as he sagged back against the wall laughing. "Gordo-fish man, come on. Quit it." Jenna said finally.

"You're a Navy Seal?" Leo suddenly asked.

Gordon nodded, still laughing helplessly.

"After only one mission?" Leo continued incredulously.

Gordon nodded.

"Man am I jealous!" he huffed playfully.

Jenna thumped him as Gordon gave into a fresh bout of laughter. "Congrats Gordo. That's something to be proud of. A Navy Seal in your first month. I don't think anybodies ever done that before." She said seriously, pulling him into a hug when his laughter had subsided.

They walked to the mess hall, talking excitedly about his sudden and very unexpected promotion. Gordon was grinning broadly for the rest of the day. He had certainly proved his point, he was now in the top stream. And all within a year. Come Christmas he would let his family know just how far he had come. He couldn't tell them what he was doing, his father would be down within seconds to drag him out, telling him he was too young or some such. It would ruin all his carefully laid plans. He would eventually let them know. Just not yet.

X


	4. Letter Home

_Gordon is starting to get a little homesick. what with it being near christmas and all._

_Letter Home_

Gordon had been asked to do the rounds on the Submarines for a month, which he had gladly accepted, the idea of being underwater for such a long period appealed to him greatly. His sub-mates were all older than him, and kept treating him like a kid--but he didn't mind so much--they were all like older brothers. But he tried not to think like that, because then he started thinking about his real brothers. And this close to Christmas he was really starting to miss them.

Not that he didn't miss them most of the time, but thoughts of Christmas brought thoughts of he and his brothers decorating the house before dad got home from work, Scott burning the turkey for the fifth time before John stepped in to do it. Alan whining about not being able to open presents early. Vigil playing all the Christmas carols and songs on whatever instrument he could lay his hands on.

The memories made him smile sadly as he lay on his bunk, staring out the little porthole at all the underwater life surrounding the submarine. He looked up at the ceiling, the little shelf he kept his shield and the little beanie fish on was a little to the left above him, just high enough so he didn't bang his shoulder if he had to roll out of his bunk quickly. That little fish came everywhere with him; he couldn't really say why he always took it, the other all laughed at it, but Gordon felt better having it.

It had actually given him the best idea ever for his brothers birthday presents, well, John's anyway, the other would get theirs for Christmas. He had searched and searched on afternoon until he had found little beanie toys that suited them. For Scott he had found a hen, because Scott was always such a mother hen with the rest of them. For John he had picked a lion, because he was quite happy to lie in the sun and be laid back unless threatened-and by gum was John scary when you get him angry. For Virgil he had searched high and low until he finally came across a rabbit-because Virgil was just a big softie really. And for Alan he had lifted a horse, it was perfect really, because Alan was just like a wild horse sometimes.

He had sent each of his brothers a birthday card and a small present for their birthdays. He had considered calling them, but he hadn't, it would have made things worse. But now it was Christmas, and he wondered if maybe he shouldn't give them a call, to let them know he really was alright. He chewed his lip thoughtfully. He wouldn't mind seeing them, or hearing them. He sighed, rolled over on the bed and sat up, his legs dangling over the side.

"What's the matter Fish?" the man on the bunk below asked. That nickname was going to follow him throughout his career, he just knew it was.

"Just thinking about my family Harry." He said with a half smile.

"Same here. I'm hoping we get back in time for Christmas Eve, my wife and little Julie will be waiting." Harry said softly.

Gordon laughed. "You're lucky you can go home to them." He said lightly, but the underlying sadness belied the carefree nature he meant it.

He heard Harry shift on the bed below. "What happened that you can't go home? I mean, you're the youngest to get into the Seals in a long time; surely your family won't overlook that. Or are they dead?"

"No!" Gordon yelped. "God no, I hope not anyway. No. I left without telling them what I was doing. I was proving a point."

"Oh, and what was that?"

Gordon sighed deeply. "That I could make it. I wasn't too good in school--and with my family that's kind of all important--good grades equal good jobs. All that crap." He shrugged. "I decided it was time to show them I could."

"And I think you have." Harry snorted. "So just go back."

"I can't. If I go back I'd have to give all this up, and I don't want to. I like being part of the Navy Seals. If I went home I'd have to give it up. I know I would."

"Good God man your eighteen, a grown man, you can make your own decisions."

"Maybe… but to my family I'm still just a kid. The joker who won't ever make it in life." He jumped off his bunk and landed with a soft thud. "I'm going to see if there's any patrols going out, I could do with a bit of swim time." He said.

"See ya Fish." Harry called after him.

As Gordon made his way down the small corridors of the large submarine, towards the tank room, his thoughts wandered back to his family. He needed to do something, both to ease his mind and conscience and reassure his family he was safe. He would have sent a photograph, but then they'd know what he looked like now and come get him. He wondered what his father would think of him making Navy Seal at the age of sixteen, if he would be proud, or just angry he had run off.

Gordon sighed and keyed the code for the tank room. There was no one else there. He went to stand beside the tank and looked in the little porthole that showed off the inside of it. He pressed his nose against it, staring at the water.

X

Gordon pulled his head mask off and sat down, staring at it, frowning thoughtfully.

"What's the matter Fish?" someone asked across the room.

"Nothing. Just wondering is all. The air in these suits run out way too quickly for a satisfactory patrol, don't they?" he asked, looking up.

A few of the men shrugged, a few nodded. "So?" the man who had spoken first said--Tyler.

"I was just wondering how we could modify them to make the air last longer." Gordon frowned thoughtfully, turning the mask over. Suddenly he got up. "Right, hold on a sec here." He went quickly to the cabinet by the wall, muttering quietly to himself as he pulled various things out. The older men watched him in amusement, shaking their heads. Soon they had left him alone in the tank room, tinkering with his suit single-mindedly.

X

Gordon sat on his bunk, twirling a bit of tubing in his fingers, his notebook was in front of him, the sketched drawings of his newly designed underwater gear half formed on the pages, bits of material and tubing covered the bunk sheet. He had come close a few times to achieving what he wanted, but it was just never enough. He would have to wait until they got back to base to get everything he needed to make his idea work. If he got it perfect it would mean the wearer of the suit could stay underwater twice as long as normal. Which would mean if something had to be checked out it could, without the worry of having to get back quickly.

He put down the tubing and did another quick sketch chewing his lip thoughtfully as he considered it. Finally he turned the page and leaned back, he looked at his shield and the little fishy and he smiled sadly. He should probably start writing that letter home now. That way he could post it as soon as they got back and it would reach his family by Christmas Eve. This was going to be his first Christmas away from home-what was he going to do? Everyone he knew would be heading home for the holiday. He supposed he could just stay on duty. No point in doing anything else.

He stared at the blank page, taking a deep breath and writing.

_Hi everybody,_

_Gordo here. I hope everything__'__s ok with you guys, and I hope you aren__'__t missing me too much-I know you__'__ll miss the customary Christmas prank, but ask Alan, he__'__ll do it for you. Just dropping a line to let you know I__'__m FINE and I__'__m doing great here, and to wish you a very merry Christmas._

_Remember not to let Alan near the presents, or Scott near the turkey, he nearly blew the house up last year. Anyway…_

He grit his teeth, his brow furrowing as he concentrated, struggling for something to write. Something to let them know he loved them. That he was doing great… just everything. But the words failed him. He hadn't written to or spoken to them in almost a year, they were probably really pissed with him. They might have even forgotten he even existed. He caught his breath at that thought.

No, no, they wouldn't have forgotten him… they couldn't have…

He stared at the page, skipped a few lines and wrote.

_I love you guys, ok. And I miss you. But I can__'__t come home. I__'__m happy here doing what I__'__m doing, and I know if you ever found out what you would try and make me stop. And I don__'__t want to. I really wish I could be there for Christmas, but I can__'__t__…_

_Dad, I just want you to know, if you knew just where I am now you__'__d be impressed. I__'__ve come a long way from the kid who would get nowhere in life. I will tell you all someday what I__'__m doing. Just not yet._

_I__'__m sorry everyone._

_Have a happy Christmas, and don__'__t worry about me. I__'__m fine._

_Love, Gordon._

And that was it. That was his whole letter to his family. He just didn't have the strength to write anything more. He closed the notebook and leaned his head back, feeling tears prick the back of his eyes. He swallowed hard before straightening and getting back to work on his underwater suit design.

X


	5. Mission Gone Wrong

_The Introduction of the main bad guy in this piece. He is nasty, and though I do not write the actual words you should understand the meaning clearly enough._

_Mission Gone Wrong_

The warm June air hung round the boat as it shipped the ten Navy Seals towards the distant beach. It was Gordon's fifth mission since he started, his fourth official one as a Seal. He kept his eyes trained on the beach ahead, feeling his blood start jumping at the thrill of another mission. These guys were apparently the worst they would ever encounter, torturers, rapists, gun runners, drug runners--if there was something bad to be done these guys had done it, and now they were turning to terrorism.

All the Seals had to do was go in and get a man out, a spy with information needed by the government. They had all the info, expect where to find this guy. It was a pure stealth operation. He glanced to his left, to Jarvis, his commanding officer, who flashed him a quick smile.

Gordon loved working with Jarvis, Collette, Big T and the others. They were the most upbeat people he had ever met, he fit right in with them. He grinned back at Jarvis. He looked forward again to the beach, readying himself. He was first out of the boat, because he was the faster swimmer he was to set up first perimeter and wait for the others to join him. He fixed his gun to his back and pulled his goggles over his face and waited for Jarvis's nod and he would be off..

Jarvis looked at him and nodded.

With barely a splash Gordon was over the side and in the water. He reached the beach, pulling his gun around and pulling his goggles down, without stopping he kept on up the beach towards the designated first perimeter, his eyes roving ceaselessly, wary of attack. He glanced back once as the boat landed before taking up position.

"_Fish?_" Jarvis's voice cackled quietly from his radio.

"All clear." He answered.

Minutes later the others were passing him quietly and swiftly, he took up rear guard. They were at the veritable fortress of the terrorists within fifteen minutes. Gordon scaled the wall last. He reached the top to see Collette, their sharpshooter scaling up a water tower for a good shot. He dropped down silently beside the others.

"Fish, you're with me and Big T." Jarvis whispered. "Let's go."

Gordon followed Jarvis and Big T quickly. They entered the building silently. There wasn't a guard in sight. There was no life in this place. Gordon frowned, beginning to harbour suspicions that there was nothing here. When they entered the fourth room to find it just as devoid of anything as the others he was about to say something, but the radio beat him too it.

"_There__'__s nothing here Captain._" Collette's voice cackled to them, shattering the silence.

"Are you certain?" Jarvis asked.

"_Sir, there__'__s not a movement. There__'__s no lights, not a guard in sight. Nothing._"

"It's too quiet." Big T rumbled dangerously.

Gordon nodded his agreement and moved to the door at the back of the room. Using his gun barrel he opened it slowly and, leaning against the wall, checked it for a surprise attack. Nothing. It was far too quiet. The place was either empty and they had been given the wrong info, or this was a trap. He looked back at Jarvis and Big T, who were having a heated discussion. Gordon made his way over to them. "There's nothing here sir." He interrupted. "It's either a trap or there's nobody home."

"I agree Fish. Hold on a second. I'll check with the other teams." Jarvis hit the transmission button. "Teams 2 and 3, anything to report?"

There was a second's time lapse before the reply came. "_Team 3-nothing sir, not a sight nor sound._" The waited for team 2 to call in. Jarvis frowned, and Gordon felt his own brow crease when there was no response. "Team 2 respond!" Jarvis ordered into the radio.

Gordon made his way to the doorway to the hall, suddenly realising no one was watching it. He looked out into the hall. Nothing. He kept half an ear on Jarvis trying to raise Team 2. Still no response. Something very bad was going down. Suddenly there was a burst of noise from his radio, he jumped at the suddenness of it before it sudden cut off. He could hear Jarvis calling "Team 2, Team 2 come in! Team 2 respond!" then he felt the cold press of a gun barrel at his neck.

All noise ceased as Jarvis and Big T brought their guns to bear on the man with the gun. Gordon felt the mans arm slide round his waist and pull him closer, moving the gun slowly to rest in the hollow just behind his ear. "I don't think you want me to blow his pretty head off now do you?"

That was all it took. Two shots rang out and Jarvis and Big T collapsed to the ground. Dead.

The man holding Gordon laughed, turned pulling Gordon with him and shoved him towards two other men. "Truss him up somewhere for me. I'm going to enjoy questioning him."

Gordon didn't have time to react and fight back before a gun butt bashed the side of his face and he blacked out.

X

When he woke up the first thing he noticed was how uncomfortable he was, his arms twisted behind him and chained to something. The second thing he noticed when he forced his eyes open was that he was in a room with the other members of his team; minus Jarvis and Big T. he shook his head blearily to try and clear it. "What happened?" he asked finally.

"It was a trap." Collette answered.

Gordon looked over to her. "Anyone know why they're keeping us alive?"

"They want information, that much is obvious. They wouldn't leave us alive if they didn't." She growled suddenly, jerking her chains. "There was no damn spy here; it was all a set up."

They waited in tense silence after that, each lost in their own thoughts. Gordon started in surprise when the door opened suddenly some time later and the man who had surprised him earlier walked in with a crooked smile. Gordon didn't recognise him, but some of the others did. Gordon studied him carefully; he didn't like the look of the man, not one bit. The man came to him first, ignoring the others.

"Unchain him. I'll question him first." He smiled leeringly and put a finger under Gordon's chin, moving his head from side to side. "Ah yes. I shall enjoy questioning you."

Boyle snapped suddenly. "You sick bastard!"

The man turned his head with a smile to Boyle. "So they say, so they say. Unchain the boy and take him to the interrogation room." With a final leering smile the man left.

Gordon was unchained, he glanced at his team-mates, all of them were angry, but it was about something he didn't quite understand. He was dragged out of the room. He didn't fight, he would wait, bide his time until he knew what was going on. He was unceremoniously dumped onto a chair, his arms chained to the back. He looked around curiously, but his vision was blocked when the man from before caught his chin and forced his head up. Gordon's eyes widened suddenly half a second later when he felt where the mans other hand was. He squirmed on the chair in an attempt to get away.

The man laughed and released him, stepping back. "Now, will you answer my questions?" he asked, amicably.

Gordon stared at him in wide eyed horror; this was a side of humanity he had never seen before. It took him a moment to register the question, then his jaw set against the threat and his eyes blazed defiantly. "No." he said slowly and clearly.

The man pursed his lips. "Very well." He signalled the two men who had dragged him in. "Don't injure him too much. I do want him fit enough to play with at a later date, but give his team-mates something to see. They seem to be the overprotective types. They may talk if we hurt him enough." The smile on his face as he looked at Gordon told him that the fun was nowhere near starting.

One man cracked his knuckles, the other his neck. Gordon shoved his fear aside as he watched them. They were no different from those guys who had beat on him when he showed them up in swimming. No different at all. However, when the first blow fell he had to amend that thought.

These guys were _way_ worse.

X

"Hey guys." Gordon said flippantly through a split lip as the two Gorilla like men dragged him back into the room and re-chained him to the wall. He tried to ignore the stabbing pain in his chest as he watched the Gorilla's leave.

"Millar?"

"Fish?"

"You ok man?"

"That bastard didn't try anything-right?"

"They got you good."

Gordon closed his eyes briefly. "Hang on, hang on… all these questions are doing nothing for the ringing in my head." He said loudly. "Right--first things first-who is that guy? I don't remember anything on him in the briefing."

"That is Marlo Scenchia… he's," Boyle hesitated. "He's wanted across America for Preditation."

"Preditation?" Gordon asked, his innocence shining through.

"What Ray means is that he's a paedophile--usually targets the kids of Navy officials--it's like he has a major grudge against us, but nobody knows anything about him." Steven's explained. "But he doesn't always stick to kids, gets his kicks out of taking men and women who look younger than they are."

"Like you." Collette finished.

Gordon frowned. "Ah… so that would explain the…" he trailed off and shuddered. He didn't know a lot about this kind of thing, but what he did know scared the wits out of him. He began to chew his lip, winching and grimacing when he pulled at the still bleeding cut. "I think we need to get out. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to be here the next time that guy comes a calling."

"I'd love to hear your plan kid-we tried everything while you were gone." Colette said, frowning at him.

Gordon flashed her a half grin. "Maybe you did, and maybe you didn't. You guys are too old to think up new ideas anyway."

That got him a chorus of "Hey's!" and some obscenities, but the mood had lightened a bit, which what he had wanted. He didn't want to think about that man, or what he meant by _'__play with him__'_ though he now had a pretty clear idea. He turned his thoughts to moral boosting (he was good at cheering people up, waste of talent is he hadn't tried) and thinking up a way out. Unfortunately their captors didn't intend to give him any time to conceive an escape plan.

X

Gordon's arm's strained as his body leaned forward, gasping and choking as Gorilla number one pulled the chair back upright and stepped back to let Gorilla number two come in with a blow under his chin that would have sent to chair crashing to the floor again if Gorilla number one hadn't been holding it. He shook his head, winching as stars burst before his eyes, before his focus came back and he stared coldly at Scenchia.

The man had been getting more and more enraged as every question he asked was met with either silence or some witty remark. Gordon knew from the look on his face he wanted to do something to break him, and quickly. But he had done nothing so far save brush his hand where it really shouldn't have been. It was making him paranoid, the man was holding back.

Finally Scenchia stood, scowling. "Get out of here!" he snapped at the Gorillas. The Gorillas shared a look and smirked at Gordon knowingly before turning to leave the room. "Check on the others."

Gordon swallowed his rising fear and watched the man approached, reminding him of a shark with that leering predatory smile. "I want those codes boy, and you are going to give them to me."

"Why do you need them anyway?" Gordon asked conversationally, his voice rasping.

"That's my own business boy."

Gordon shifted away from the hand and the man laughed. "You don't like this do you? I'll just bet you're a virgin--probably the most innocent in the Navy aren't you." He laughed again. "I can do worse boy, so much worse, and unless you give me the codes I will. And I'll enjoy every minute of it. Believe me."

Gordon paled a little and his eyes darted. Then he saw it--the keys to the chains. He shoved his fear down and his determination resolved itself. He jerked his body around sharply, twisting the chair with him, causing Scenchia to stumble. He didn't stop to think as one foot slipped under the belt while the other kicked Scenchia to the ground. The belt snapped under the strain, he kicked it up quickly and it landed on his lap, keys and all. He grit his teeth against the pain in his body and somehow managed to get the keys onto his knees, which he drew up as close to his chest as he could before the pain overwhelmed him and pulled the keys off with his teeth-he quickly turned his head and dropped the keys.

He caught them. Quickly he worked his hands around to unlock the chains. His head snapped back when he felt Scenchia's hand grip his knee to pull himself up; ready to shout for the Gorilla's. Gordon desperately kicked out, hitting him hard in the chest and sending him reeling back, still fumbling with the keys-he had to get free, he only had one shot at this.

He watched in horror as Scenchia rose again, and finally a key slid in and turned. Gordon pulled his hand free and stood, pulling his other arm free-the chain sagged, jerking his arm with the speed he had moved and his shoulder popped its socket. That second of pain was all it took for Scenchia to reach him, pushing both him and the chair to the ground. Gordon kicked and struggled, and finally his knee made contact. Scenchia rolled off him groaning. Gordon scrambling up, ignoring the pain he quickly, if a little shakily, untangled the chain, unlocked his other hand, and chained the man to the fallen chair before darting for the door and down to the other room.

He opened the door slowly-no Gorilla's in sight. He let out a sigh of relief; he didn't think he could take them right now. He made his way to his nearest team-mate and unlocked the chains. "Hi, guys!" he tried to grin, but his face hurt a little too much to pull it off.

"Millar/Fish!" was the general reaction when they'd gotten past their shocked silence.

Boyle, whom he had just released took the keys from his shaking hands and quickly let everyone else free.

"Told you I'd come up with something." He said cheerfully. "Scenchia is in a room down the hall; I don't know where the gorilla's are, but I doubt they'd be worth much anyway--I say we just grab Scenchia and get the hell out of this place-who's with me?" he asked.

"Whole heartedly Fish. Me and Stevens will go pick up the asshole." Boyle smiled.

"Give him some bruises for me, ok." Collette asked cheerily as they went, slinking out of the room. "Right, lets go, you ok for the walk Fish?"

Gordon smiled. "Yup, more than ready-they didn't get me that bad you know."

X

On the boat, which Scenchia and the gorillas hadn't moved, like the idiots they were. Gordon collapsed at the side, his adrenaline having worn out, letting all his aches and pains shoot through him. He groaned inwardly and tried to focus on the heated conversation around him.

"It was a set up from the word go. All our info was wrong-everything." Stevens was muttering darkly.

"I just don't understand how we got it so wrong." Collette said. "It doesn't make sense. I mean, how were we taken by only three men?" she ended bitterly.

Gordon wondered the same thing, but his mind gave out halfway through the thought… something about not being human… everything went black.

X


	6. Petty Officer Second Class

_Heh, changed it so it could be more navel like. he's now a proper navy officer. Aren't you proud?_

_Petty Officer Second Class_

Gordon groaned as he came back to awareness, in that blessed oblivion between awake and numbness. But his body decided to suddenly let him know how it was faring. His face screwed up as the pain hit him all at once. He let out a completely involuntary gasp, and faintly heard an answering cry in the form of "Doc--quick!" Minutes later all the pain had faded to a dull throb. He lay still for a moment, eyes still closed, breathing deeply. Voices conversed above him. He couldn't hear what they were saying. That annoyed him. His brow furrowed and he cracked open his eyes a bit. Then a bit more, until the blurs revealed themselves to be one of the three doctors on base and Leo.

"Fish man!" Leo grinned when he saw his eyes were open.

Gordon swallowed and tried to speak. The doctor quickly helped him to some water. Gordon frowned at them. "What happened?" he asked in a weak and raspy voice.

Leo smiled and slumped back in the chair. "You got the shit beat outta ya Fish, and bad."

Gordon glanced at the doctor. "What's the damage?" he asked with slight apprehension, from the onslaught of pain when he had first woken up he was afraid of the worst. Vague images of what had occurred flashed trough his memory.

"You're lucky to be alive young man." the doctor said with a shake of is head. "You have three broken ribs, four cracked, extensive bruising on your face abdomen and back. Two broken fingers, a dislocated shoulder and a fractured wrist. You are very lucky one of your broken ribs didn't puncture anything or you wouldn't be here."

Gordon blinked. "No wonder I feel like I got hit by a truck." he said in wonder "But nothing permanent?"

"You'll be on desk duty for the next few months, then I'll re-evaluate you back onto light duties. You'll be fine so long as you rest." The doctor said, and left.

Gordon turned wide eyes to Leo, who laughed. "God Gordon! The thought of you on desk duty. Doesn't bear thinking about does it?" he leaned forward. "Jenna's gonna be so pissed she missed that reaction." he cocked his head and studied Gordon. "So, you ok Gordo?" he asked, his eyes searching.

Gordon frowned at him. "What do you mean?" he asked, knowing he wasn't referring to his injuries, but too tired to think back to what he could mean.

"I recognised that guy the Seal's brought in. And the way those guys were acting, and you being pretty beat up, it was pretty obvious what he did. So--are you ok?" Leo asked.

The memory came to him then, and he shuddered, causing some of the dulled pain to flare up again. "I'm fine. He never did anything... threatened to..." he trailed off. "What happened to him?"

Leo's face grew cold and closed off. "He was being transported to a proper jail. He broke away from his guards, dived into the water and never came back up. They sent diver's down. He just vanished."

Gordon studied him for a moment before closing his eyes, forcefully repressing that flicker of fear and unease. "Great. I get you the guy, hog-tied and everything and you just let him get away." he heaved as close to a theatrical sigh as he could manage, then opened his eyes again. "Where is Jenna?" he asked tiredly.

"On a patrol, she got called out yesterday; she won't be back until the end of the week."

"Why aren't you out on patrol too?" Gordon asked with a frown.

Leo rolled is eyes and waved his cast arm at him. "Did ya forget the training accident? You're going to have company on desk duty my friend--at least for a while. Jenna's now the only one of our trio who's active. I envy her." he sighed.

Gordon smiled, Leo had been despondent over being out of action for two months, such was the extent of the break. He had been impossible to live with. Gordon grimaced suddenly at the idea of being out of action, and Leo would be back on duty in a month.

He groaned.

Leo laughed. "Welcome to my nightmare."

X

"It's usually a good idea to _do_ the paper work." Jenna said with a grin as she ducked the crude paper aeroplane.

Gordon ignored her as he started folding another sheet of paper. Scott had shown him how to do this years ago, but he had never been able to make them fly as well as his brother. A fact he intended to remedy in his last month of desk duty. The first month and a half had been spent mostly doing work, but it got boring after a while. Besides, without Leo there to fob off work too and annoy he was bored.

Jenna perched herself on the desk while Leo lounged in the spare chair. Gordon made his last fold, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth in childish concentration as he lifted it and aimed it for a bin on the other side of the room. He threw it. All three watched in rapt fascination as it floated along a little way before taking a nose dive to the end of the desk and landed in a crumpled heap on the floor.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I didn't join the air force." he said, turning to his two friends with a smile. "What brings you guys here?"

"Two things." Jenna said.

"One, it's off duty, and you should be clocking out and coming with us--because we have to celebrate." Leo grinned.

"Celebrate what?" Gordon asked.

"The second thing." Jenna said, sharing Leo's grin.

"Which is?" Gordon frowned.

Jenna and Leo shared a look. "We've been short listed." Leo said cryptically.

"For?" Gordon asked, his eyes darting between the two of them.

Jenna leaned over the desk and smacked the back of his head. "What do you think for water brain?" she smiled.

Gordon's eyes widened. "The Seal's?" he asked in realisation.

They nodded, grinning madly.

Gordon laughed; he would have jumped up and hugged them if his ribs hadn't protested to the movement. "That is great!"

"Come on. We are going to get pissed!" Jenna grinned, hopping off the table.

Gordon laughed, but followed them out, leaving his paper aeroplanes strewn across the office.

X

"Sir?" Gordon said, saluting his commanding officer, wondering what he could have possibly done; he had only been back on duty a week, and besides jokingly decorating Jenna and Leo's bunks in toilet paper he hadn't done anything else to have been called in.

"Millar, we have given it due consideration." the Captain said with a slight smile at Gordon's perplexed expression. "And we feel you've proven yourself capable of holding an official rank. The ceremony will be held Monday at 1900 hours. Congratulations, Petty Officer Second Class." the Captain smiled.

Gordon's eyes widened almost comically, but he kept his questions to himself, straightened that little bit more and saluted again. "Thank you sir." he said.

"Dismissed."

Once outside Gordon sagged, the biggest smile in the world plastered on his face. He was a Petty Officer… and not just any Petty Officer, but the equivalent of a Sergeant (had he been in the army or the air force). He had an official rank. He had to tell Leo and Jenna! He took off at a jog to the bunks.

X

"Just when we catch up to you, you have to go and make Petty Officer!" Leo complained, pushing Gordon lightly. "I tell ya, it's just not fair."

Gordon just kept smiling.

"I agree--I think we need to teach him a lesson." Jenna smiled; sharing a look with Leo and nodding towards the pier on their left (they had just finished a celebratory dinner out and were heading home). Leo grinned wickedly.

Gordon didn't see it coming until it was too late. Leo grabbed one arm, Jenna the other and they ran like lunatics down the pier and threw Gordon off the end. Gordon landed with a splash. He surfaced moments later to find the other two laughing at the end of the pier and he had a devious idea. He took a deep breath and disappeared back underwater and swam quickly over to the support beam and started climbing.

He wasn't going to be the only one wet tonight.

X


	7. World Aquanaught Security Patrol

_The World Aquanaut Security Patrol_

(Bet you never thought I'd get here did you)

Gordon rubbed a hand tiredly over his face, blinking wearily as he made his way back to his bunk, intending to sleep away his last night as a seventeen year old. Tomorrow he would be officially eighteen--or, as everyone here thought, he'd be turning twenty. He smiled to himself. One good thing about his birthday being on Valentines Day was that he got double the attention, as he had found out last year. The mission had gone smoothly, the debriefing had been quick, now all he wanted to do was sleep.

"Petty Officer Miller."

Gordon turned back to see the commander standing farther down the hall with another man. He didn't look particularly happy, and the unknown man in the wheelchair seemed to be the reason. "Yes sir?" he said curiously; if he got suck on babysitting detail he was going to blow. He needed to sleep damnit all! And maybe work some more on his Aqua suit--a few more tweaks and it should be finished.

"PO, this is Colonel Shore, he wants to speak with you." the commander said

Gordon frowned, but made his way back down the hall. "Sir?" he asked.

"PO Miller." Shore said with a smile. "This will only take a moment. I know better than to keep men from their beds after a mission. I had hoped to speak to you sooner, but the fates conspired against me. Commander, may I use your office?"

"Of course." The commander said, in a strained polite tone.

Shore nodded and went into the office. With a confused look to the Commander Gordon followed. He took the seat when Shore indicated it. There was a tense silence, he fidgeted slightly. Feeling like he was sitting across from his father.

"PO." Shore sad, breaking the silence finally. "I am here, quite simply to offer you a place within my organisation."

"Your organisation sir?" Gordon questioned.

The man smiled. "Yes. You may or may not have heard of it. W. A. S. P-The World Aquanaut Security Patrol."

"What is that exactly sir?" Gordon said, leaning forward slightly, curious and interested.

"Ah, that is something you must swear to tell no one about. We are a rather secret organisation really." Shore said, eyeing him. Gordon nodded and Shore continued. "To the rest of the world we are merely a branch of the Navy set up to explore the oceans. We are, however, a completely separate organisation set up to protect the human race from an enemy from the deaths."

"O... kay..." Gordon said. "And you want to offer me a place why exactly, sir?"

"Occasionally we recruit from the Navy if we feel the person has enough potential, which you do, and have shown through countless missions. Making the Navy Seals at such a young age." He smiled briefly and Gordon felt unease well up inside him. "And making Sergeant so soon after. All in much less than a year. We would have recruited you earlier, but I felt you were a little too young." his blue eyes kept on him steadily. "And I would be right, you'll be turning what? Eighteen, nineteen tomorrow?"

Gordon knew it was useless to lie. This man knew who he was--he didn't know how, but somehow he did. Now everything he had worked for was going to come crashing down. "Eighteen sir." he said miserably, before looking up. "How did you know?" he asked.

Shore smiled. "I have had the pleasure of meeting your father and your mother on more than one occasion. Your resemblance to your mother is uncanny--though from your record thus far it seems you take after your father."

Gordon chewed his lip worriedly.

"Now, now boy, don't look so worried. I have no intention of letting your secret out, or of telling your father. Though I will give you the same advice I gave him. You should contact your family. I feel that we need you on WASP too much to jeopardise it."

"But why?" Gordon asked, forgetting to add the customary 'sir' to the end in his relief over not getting ratted out.

"You have a very impressive water record, which is essential in our organisation. You show excellent leadership skills, a quick thinker in battle. A _very_ impressive track record so far. And you have already had a first hand dealing with our particular enemy."

Gordon frowned. "Sir?" he quickly thought back--enemy--underwater enemy... and suddenly his eyes widened. "Scenchia!" he said in surprise. "They say he just vanished when he went overboard."

Shore nodded. "Yes, Scenchia was a spy, a very humanlike spy. Who plagued America's shores for far too long. He was trying to get the Navy access codes if I'm not mistaken?" He looked at Gordon for confirmation. He nodded, a little confused. "Yes, it was most likely another sabotage mission."

"Excuse me sir." Gordon interrupted suddenly. "But what exactly was Scenchia if he wasn't human?"

"He was an Aquaphibian, one of the underwater race intent on punishing mankind for destroying the world's oceans." Shore informed him.

Gordon considered this. "But why me sir? What makes you think I would want to join you-no offence meant-but I like it here." he said. It sounded interesting, there was no denying the fact, and now that his curiosity was piqued he knew it was going to eat away at him. But he did like being part of the Seals. It would take something major to get him to switch to WASP.

Shore laughed. "None taken." He studied him for a moment. "You're called 'Fish' here, yes? Any special reason?"

"I feel more at home in the water than out." Gordon replied with a shrug. "Sir."

The man laughed again. "If I didn't know both your parents were very much human I would think you were an Aquaphibian yourself. Well, if you joined us you would most likely be in the water rather than out. Unlimited water time, a chance for a close study of ocean life--which I believe would appeal to you. The danger and adventure associated with the nature of the patrols. And, if you so desire, the materials and testing equipment needed to make your underwater suit is a success."

Gordon stared at him. Hardly anyone knew about his Aqua suit. "How did you? I mean... what? Sir?"

"I ask the right questions. I will not ask you to decide now. Sleep on it and let me know within the week if you wish to accept the offer."

Gordon got to his feet and saluted awkwardly. "Yes sir."

"Thank you. Dismissed Petty Officer Tracy." Shore smiled.

Gordon left the office, his whole being confused. He made his way blindly back to his bunk. He would think about this tomorrow, when he was more clear headed.

X

Gordon was sitting in the mess hall, chin resting in the palm of his hand. From he had woken up he had been unable to get the idea of WASP out of his head, which annoyed him a bit. He liked being here. He'd made his place here in the Navy; he had friends he trusted with all his heart and soul. If he left it he would lose all that he had gained, he would have to start all over again. His previous achievements wouldn't do him any favour in a new organisation--especially one that the Navy didn't seem to get on well with. He would be right back to square one, having to earn the respect of men and women older, more experienced, and who had the insane notion that he couldn't cut it. He had come too far to lose that respect. He really had. So why couldn't he get the idea of moving on out of his head.

He the hand holding his head up, upwards until he could bang his forehead off the heel.

"Gordo--you don't have enough brain-cells to afford killing them off like that." Jenna said with a grin, taking a seat beside him.

Gordon ignored her and banged head and hand together again.

Jenna shook her head and turned back to her breakfast. "Come on Gordo-eat up. You can't get pissed on an empty stomach." she grinned.

Gordon looked at her sideways. "What is it with you and getting pissed?" he asked.

Jenna heaved a pointed sigh, setting down her fork and turning to him. "Gordo. It is your birthday. Man, your twenty years old now in-case you've forgotten. Next year we'll be legal and it won't be half as much fun, now come on. Eat your damned breakfast." she picked up her fork again and punctured her egg.

Gordon rolled his eyes--she didn't know the half of it. He picked up his spoon and stirred his soggy cereal, drifting back into his thoughts, staring blankly into space. He really shouldn't be thinking so much of joining WASP. He did, he really did like his work here. Not that the challenge of cracking WASP, wasn't appealing- but did he really want to leave everything he had built up here? Did he?

His eyes flicked up when he felt something hit his forehead. He blinked and looked down at the toast crust that had landed in his cereal slush. He looked up again to see Leo munching away on his now crust-less toast, smiling. "What was that for?" he asked, frowning, shaking off his thoughts.

"To wake you up! Fish man, it's your birthday--start acting like it!" Leo said, rolling his eyes. "You were right Jenna; he's killed off all his working brain cells."

Gordon flicked his eyes between them, brow furrowing as he tried to recall this conversation, finally he gave up, drawing a blank, and stirred his slushy cereal. A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes, so he kept them lowered-no sense in letting them know what he planned to do. As they continued their insult fest against him, he casually dunked the toast crust into the cereal. They wanted him to start acting like it was his birthday--fine. He dropped the spoon, letting it lean on the opposite side of the bowl to him. This had to be timed perfectly he had to launch his missiles so it got them both, thus giving him time to run for cover. He glanced at each of them, still preoccupied, and he smiled.

Leo, being the one across from him noticed the smile first, and his eyes widened. "Oh crap! Fish no! I'm on duty today!" he pushed his chair back, trying to protect his uniform.

Gordon slammed his hand on the end of the spoon, sending a dollop of sloppy cereal straight at Leo, it caught him on the shoulder (it would have been the chest if he hadn't moved). He surged to his feet, hand whipping out holding the cereal drenched toast crust, catching Jena's hair before she could move, and darting for the door out of the mess hall before either could retaliate.

By the time they found him Gordon was lying on his bunk, staring at the ceiling, that distant look he had had on his face all morning back again. He just couldn't get the idea out of his head, he really couldn't decide. There was just enough pull for him to want to go, but there was also just as much to keep him here. It was proving a tougher decision than he had ever thought.

Leo shoved his legs aside and sat on the end of the bed, glancing at the ceiling with an amused frown. "What's so exciting about it Fish?" he asked.

Gordon blinked and looked at Leo. "What?"

Leo sighed. "Man, come on. It's your birthday; you should be out getting pissed with Jenna today while I'm stuck in work--not sitting here moping. It ain't like ya Fish-and I don't like it-not one bit. So either spill or quit acting like that. Besides, Jenna's suffering withdrawal, she ain't had a pissup for a whole morning man-how can you do that to the poor woman!" Leo laughed.

"Hey Leo!" Jenna called.

Leo turned and got a wet towel in the face. "Geeze! Guy's. I'm on duty today! Quit messing me up! The Captain already gave me a damned dressing down for not looking neat enough!"

Jenna snorted. "Oh give over Leo-your just trying to impress her is all."

"Hey, impressing the Captain is what's going to get me a promotion before you Jenna, ok." Leo said, flinging the towel back at her.

She caught it and started to towel her hair dry. "Sure Leo, you believe what you want." she turned serious brown eyes to Gordon. "Now spill what's got you acting weird Gordo. Now!" she ordered.

Gordon sighed. "I got offered a job." he said finally.

His friends frowned. "A job? As in outside the Navy or what?" Jenna asked.

"A different organisation actually... kind of like the Navy..." he said, wondering just how much he could tell.

"WASP." Leo said knowingly.

Gordon looked at him, wide eyed. "How'd you know?"

Leo shrugged. "Heard all about them, some secret thing. Not Navy, something else. A big hush hush over them. You were offered a job from them?" he asked.

Gordon nodded, looking between his friends to see their reactions.

"Man you get moved up pretty quick don't you Gordo." Jenna said, shaking her head. "Give me some tip's would you. WASP is apparently a pretty hard organisation to get into. Navy official's don't like them much though, they always take some of the best away." she frowned.

"You gonna take it?" Leo asked, studying him.

Gordon blew out a sigh. "Don't know. I want to, but I don't…you know." he said with a helpless shrug.

"How long you got to think about it?" Jenna asked.

"A week." Gordon replied.

"So take the week and think it over. Just not today! Today is your birthday, and you left a fair few hotties in the mess hall pining for you." Leo winked. "But if you don't want 'em I'll have 'em." he smiled.

Gordon grinned. "You can have 'em man." he said. He swung off the bed, shoving Leo off with his feet and standing up. "Ok--so what did you guys get me then?" he asked innocently.

Jenna shook her head. "I'm going to get you pissed." she said.

"And I, when I am done slaving away here, am going to find you a girl and get you laid man." Leo said, smiling.

"Oh, gee, thanks." Gordon laughed.

"On that note--Leo, aren't you going to be late reporting?" Jenna asked with a smug smirk.

Leo looked at his watch. "Crap! I'll see you guys later!" He took off at a run down the corridor.

Gordon laughed. This was one of the main things that made him want to stay here, he didn't think he could ever meet anyone like Jenna and Leo--they were as close as family to him now. And being away from his own family, for so long--without any contact--though it grew easier, there was a hole where is family should be, and if he thought he could stay in the life he had made himself, he would call them in a second. But he knew he couldn't. Moving to WASP might be a big move, but he would still be doing what he enjoyed doing. Calling his family put an end to all of this. And he couldn't risk it. He smiled at Jenna, grabbing her arm. "Right! Let's got get some alcohol in your system before you collapse!"

Jenna swatted at him playfully. "Oh Shut up!" she smiled.

X

As it happened Gordon did, for a night at least-forget about WASP, and though he wasn't exactly sure what happened on his first night as an eighteen year old, he figured it couldn't have been that bad--even if he did have a killer headache the next morning. And due to that he still didn't think about WASP--or more rather he couldn't. It was in this state that Jenna walked in on him, and to a worse degree Leo, who had crashed on the empty bunk above Gordon. The two let out identical groans when the door clanged open.

"That's what you get for not being able to handle your drink." Jenna sing-songed wickedly.

"Shut up!" Gordon moaned.

Jenna laughed.

"Fish man--throw up my jacket would you?" Leo croaked out from above. Gordon rolled over and felt around on the floor for Leo's jacket-grabbing the first bit of cloth he came to and held it up. Leo made a few half hearted swipes before he caught it. Seconds later it dropped to the groaned again. "That wasn't my jacket." He complained very quietly. "Jen-you got some aspirin on you?"

Jenna laughed again but dug round in her pocket for the bottle of aspirin she kept handy for mornings like these (rare though they were), even though watching Leo and Gordon suffer was amusing. She tossed them up to Leo. "Come on you two--we go on duty in an hour, from what I hear we might have another mission out."

Gordon sat bolt upright-banging his head off the metal edge of the top bunk-letting out a string of curses he looked over at Jenna. "Another one--so soon?"

Jenna shrugged. "Things have been heating up lately. I think it might be another gun run."

Leo's hand appeared down the side of the bunk-holding the aspirin bottle. Gordon accepted it as Leo said. "Well our bust the other day wasn't all of it--and we did lose some of the runners."

"Can't be us if it's just a cleanup." Gordon said, frowning, swallowing two aspirin dry. "Hang on… wasn't one of those who got away one of the big fish?" he asked.

"Yeah--Kenny Saunders. Main dealer in arms smuggling; does all his transport by sea, supplied those out to get the government with weapons. Slipped through our fingers one too many times. That's why we were sent last time." Leo supplied.

Gordon nodded. "Figures he would try something so soon after--we'd think he was laying low for a while. Perfect cover."

Jenna grinned. "Well no more speculating-get up and dressed so we can find out! She turned and left-letting the door clang shut, causing Leo and Gordon to groan again.

X

"We have information leading us to believe that Kenny Saunders has another arms shipment coming in." Captain Taylor said (he had taken over when Jarvis was killed) "Now we want to get him this time-so no mistakes. Fish--you, Leo, Jenna and Collette are going in first; you four set up observation, secure all exits and get us a full readout on everyone and everything. When you relay the info the rest of us will start the raid. You four have to make very sure that no one gets out-ok?"

"Got it." Gordon said, tone serious despite the smile on his face.

"Good. you have an hour before we move out."

X

Three hours later had Gordon seated uncomfortably, goggles round his neck. Holding his gun ready, finger by the trigger, his eyes trained on the group of arms dealers below him. So far there was no sign of Saunders. From the opposite side of the room-Leo's position, he heard the door open.

"_We got trouble_." Leo spat out through the radio.

"_No worries, I've got him dead in my sights_." Collette said, her tone bitter.

Gordon frowned, looked over, and understood.

Scenchia.

His jaw tightened as he looked at the man who had plagued his dreams for nearly a month. No… not a man, he corrected himself-what was it Commander Shore had called him? Aqua… Aqua men… Aquaphibian! That was it! He changed his grip on the gun-tightening it reflexively. Even though he had put that whole situation behind him, seeing Scenchia again gave him the shivers.

"Concentrate on the mission-don't get distracted." He said.

"_Fine--but he's the first one going down when the raid starts."_ Collette answered.

"Ok--but keep focus now!" he ordered.

After another few minutes, with still no sign of Saunders. Gordon shifted again, never one for sitting still to begin with. This was one of the very few things he didn't like about his job-all this waiting for targets to arrive.

"_Saunders is coming in my door._" Jenna's voice cackled over the radio.

"_Confirmed--I have him._" Leo answered.

Gordon watched for a few more minutes, until the negotiations had started-just to be sure, before pressing the talk button on his radio. "Captain, Saunders is here, commence raid."

"Keep the exits covered Sergeant." Taylor said a smile in his voice.

"Will do sir." Gordon said, smiling in response though it couldn't be seen, correcting the grip on his gun.

Twenty minutes of hard fighting later they had Saunders in custody, the weapons awaiting shipment to a Navy impound. Of Scenchia however, there was no sign. The man had simply vanished. Collette had tracked him with her rifle the whole time, and fired a shot, that had not looked like it had missed at the time. But it must have, because Scenchia was gone.

Gordon sat on the edge of the hydrofoil, his gun trained on the four dealers they had also taken, eyes scanning the beach waiting for the last few Seals to get in so they could go. He had an uneasy feeling about staying here much longer-he wasn't sure what it was, he just wanted to get back to the base, and fast.

The swift jerk on his utility belt sent him tumbling backwards and into the water. He surfaced for a moment, drawing in a surprised gulp of air before he was pulled under again and into deep waters. He struggled; his lungs burning--he hadn't taken a proper breath of air. He broke loose, turning as he kicked his way back to the surface--his eyes widening as he made out the features of Scenchia through the murky water. His head broke the surface and he gulped in breaths of air, looking round for the shore, it wasn't too far away, and already some of the Seals were swimming out to get him.

An arm encircled his waist and he stiffened, all his movements stilled.

"Hello pretty boy-how have you been since we last met?" Scenchia asked, in a deceptively cheerful voice. "My offer still stands you know." The hand that rested on his stomach moved downwards. "What do you say?"

Gordon snapped back in action-his movements somewhat sluggish due to the water-he brought his elbow back and into Scenchia's chest and twisted away out of his grip. Before he got far enough away Scenchia caught his hair, pulling himself up close, pressing against him.

"Let's move this to my playing field pretty boy." He hissed.

Gordon sucked in as much air as possible before Scenchia dragged him under by his hair, further from the shore and deeper down. Gordon struggled, kicked and punched for all he was worth--but in the water it was useless. Scenchia suddenly released him, but before he had the chance to react he got a fist to the gut. Clenching his teeth desperately to keep himself loosing anymore precious air. He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat.

Thinking was difficult--being underwater, his air fast running out second by second, the confusion, fear and anger that coursed through him didn't make it easier. He twisted away from Scenchia again and kicked upward. Letting his natural instincts take over. Evade capture and get to the surface--once there he could think.

He felt it as Scenchia moved to grab his foot to stop him, his body twisted to evade the grasping hand smoothly. His lungs were burning, he wouldn't make it to the surface--even with his usual reserve of strength that came when he ran out of oxygen. He didn't quite manage to escape the next grasping that came, and he was jerked sharply downwards, air bubbles escaping too quickly to consider, and his vision blurring. He found himself looking into Scenchia's face, but he couldn't read the expression on his face as his mind started to shut down.

Then there were lips crushed to his-and to his shock he could breathe--eyes, still fuzzy and unfocused, widened-and he began to struggle, but he couldn't break loose. The next thing he knew he was breaking the surface of the water-and Scenchia pulled away-smiling crookedly.

"No sense in you dying just yet pretty boy. I still have so many plans for you."

Gordon kicked back quickly. "Wh… What are you?" he gasped out desperately. He didn't understand--he hadn't truly understood what Commander Shore had said. He'd had an idea… but this… this was…

Scenchia laughed cruelly. "I have every intention of showing you just what exactly I am." He disappeared below the surface e of the water.

Gordon stared at the spot-treading water; expecting at any moment to be jerked back down--exhausted and very confused. His body tingling with some unknown emotion. An arm came round him and he thrashed, ending up spluttering--acting on instinct not thought.

"Fish! Fish man quit it! Leo cried-trying to keep his head, and Gordon's above the water. "Dammit Fish! Quit fighting--it's me! Leo!" he yelled.

Gordon's head turned and his struggles eased when he saw that it was indeed Leo. He sagged, too exhausted to do anything more, everything in him was completely used up. Leo took in a breath of relief and worry and quickly started pulling Gordon back towards the boat bobbing close by.

Gordon sat in somewhat of a daze for the rest of the trip back--unable to drag his thoughts away from Scenchia and what he was.

X

"PO Miller." The Commander said, entering the hospital wing of the base.

"Yes sir?" Gordon asked wearily--rubbing the sleeve of his jumper across his mouth.

The commander's expression was surprisingly compassionate. "I need your debriefing; specifically on what happened at the beach."

Gordon looked at him. "It was Scenchia sir. I don't know how, and I don't know why--just that it was him. He dragged me out of the boat--into deeper waters--we fought… And I don't know sir. All I really remember after that was when Leo pulled me back to the boat…" he lied. He could remember what happened, if a little fuzzily.

What Scenchia had presented to him was a challenge-and he'd be damned if he was going to run from it. Besides, to quote… someone… _'Running from what you fear just gives it a stronger hold on you'_ he thought it might have been John. Well-he wasn't running from Scenchia-oh no-he was heading straight for him-he was going to let him see just who he was dealing with.

Gordon Tracy was fired up and ready to go.

"Sir." He said quietly, seriously, eyes alight with the same determination that had driven him to leave home and pursue this life. "Could you get me the number for Commander Shore of the WASP. I believe I have a call to make."

X

_Scenchia was important to this part as the push Gordon needed to move to WASP. That and he wanted more screen time. Will we see more of him? Maybe... After all, what's a hero without a supervillian?_


	8. Change

_New Chapter? What? I know, I know. Late as usual. Short, unbearbly so compared to the other chapters, but at least it's here. The plot moves forward... at least a little._

_Change_

Gordon stood, eyes huge as he tried to see everything without turning his head like a maniac; that would just lead people to make assumptions about him, assumptions he was in no mood to deal with. Not with all the absolutely _cool_ stuff around him. Sure he had been in almost every single Navy water room, (were they kept all the equipment for use by the various teams, including boats, suits and other more interesting things) he could manage to worm his way into, this place… This place was…

"You're showing remarkable restraint PO Tracy." the warm chuckle that reminded him of his father, drew Gordon attention immediately.

"Sir?" he asked, questioningly.

Commander Shore chuckled again. "I've seen men twice your age behave like children on Christmas morning when they first see our base of operations. No one will think any less of you if you behave the same way this once."

Gordon blushed, but took the suggestion. An instant later his mouth had gaped into something of a manically happy grin, and he started to bounce just a little on the balls of his feet, wanting to take some of the equipment out on the water.

"Your order's for today are to familiarise yourself with the base and the equipment. Feel free to ask any of the men you come across if you find something you're unsure of."

"Yes Sir." was Gordon's quick response, earning another chuckle from Commander Shore. And as he moved off, he was sure he heard the man say 'Jus like your father', but he didn't stop to think about that, but the comment was filed away with the previous comment he had overlooked when Commander Shore had come to ask him about joining WASP.

For the moment, Gordon's attention was on the equipment, the boats, the one man submarines that littered this room. He wandered the room, responding when he was greeted, talking when he was interested in something in particular.

By the time the day had ended, he had taken a one man submarine out for a spin, gotten the grand tour of the designated 'safe' swimming area, and granted free access to any materials he needed to complete his new suit design. He was practically buzzing with energy by the time he made it to his living quarters. So much so that he couldn't sit still. He wanted to talk to someone, needed to. Needed to tell them about everything he had seen and done, and just how unbelievably cool it all was.

Spotting the vid phone he dived for it. He hadn't made any friends today, no one was close enough to his age for him to connect with them on that level. But he did have friends in the Navy. Besides, he needed to give them his new number. He hit the numbers without thought and waited impatiently for Leo to pick up, bouncing in his seat.

Finally the screen clicked on and Jenna appeared, hair looking a little bedraggled.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Gordon asked with a devilish smile.

Jenna's face lit up before it darkened, and Gordon could here a distinct 'Jen--babe, come back to bed' in the voice Leo used when he was being perverted. Jen glared off to the side. "Shut up Leo!" then she turned back to Gordon. "We were watching a DVD, he kept flicking popcorn in my hair."

Gordon grinned. "Honestly, I'm gone a day and you go wild, don't you?"

Leo moved into view now, grinning at Gordon. "How's the new job?"

"Isn't it supposed to be confidential?" Jenna asked.

Gordon had forgotten about that. His face dropped. "I forgot that… Yeah… But it's not like I have to tell you anything specific. It's just that there are so many cool things here! I got to drive a submarine!" he exclaimed.

"On your first day?" Jenna said sceptically.

"Wow! That is cool Fish!" Leo enthused behind her.

"Well… it was only a test drive really. Just to get a handle on it. But it was cool. And I can finish my suit, finally. They're letting me use all their stuff for it!" He was bouncing again. Happily excited about everything.

"We still gonna get first dibs on this suit of yours?" Leo asked, it was almost a running joke now what with how long it was taking to make it.

Gordon affected a superior look. "Now that you've said that, no."

Jenna rolled her eyes, making Gordon smile. "So what's it like there? Any different to here?" she asked curiously.

Gordon considered. "Not really… there isn't anyone around my age, everyone's old."

"Like grey haired with a Zimmer frame old? Or over 25 old?" Leo asked.

Gordon laughed. "Over twenty five old. Though grey haired with a Zimmer frame come's into that category." he shared a grin with Leo at Jenna's exasperated expression. "But it's almost the same. They all look at me like I'm way too young to be here." Though if they really knew they'd be surprised… Which made him wonder, had Commander Shore released his actual age?

"You are way too young to be there." Jenna broke him out of his musings. "They don't normally recruit until your 23 or 24 usually. It gives you time to prove your stuff in the actual Navy. I did some research… not that there's a lot, but I was curious."

"That's Fish for you, way ahead of the game." Leo sighed dramatically before looking at Gordon. "You know I'm insanely jealous right?"

Gordon nodded solemnly. "I know," he looked abjectly sympathetic. "But I'm sorry. I really can't help that I'm just so much better looking than you are."

Leo spluttered under the insinuation (he was under the impression that he was an undeniably good looking lady's man). Gordon and Jenna laughed at him.

They stayed on the line for a good hour, talking about anything and nothing, just like they would have done had he been with them. Gordon signed off feeling somewhat calmer than before, and more inclined to relax on the bed than bounce off the walls. He hadn't realised just how much he had come to rely on Jenna and Leo to ground him. Like how his brother's had once kept him grounded when he got too excited, too full of energy.

Turning his thoughts from his brothers and his family, unwilling to think of tem at the moment. It had started growing much more depressing to think of them lately, so he avoided that train of thought. He spotted a remote for the small television on the desk and groped for it, pressing the power button, glad when the image popped up. He really didn't want to get up now he was settled on the bed.

He flicked through the channels until a name sprang out at him and he paused…

"_--rcy, it will be the first space voyage of the billionaire Jeffery Tracy's middle son. The Tracy family are most notably known for the last few years, because of Mr. Tracy's fourth son, Gordon, going missing two years ago. But it seems as if the family are moving on with their lives. I have here John Tracy, the young man about to make his big debut in space. Mr. Tracy, how do you feel about your upcoming voyage?_

"_Nervous I guess--"_

The rest of the words were lost on Gordon, who had felt his whole world crash down on him at the sound of his brother's voice. He had avoided the news unless there was something specific to the job, the newspapers as well. This was…

Shaking his head roughly he focused back on the television and watched his brother.

"_Can I say something, if you don't mind?_

"_Of course Mr. Tracy._

"_Gordon, if you're watching this, we'll be waiting when you're ready to come home. Thanks ma'am._

"_You're welcome Mr. Tracy. The space voyage will be leaving in three days time, and will be in space for approximately three months. We'll be back on the day of the launch. Back to the studio."_

Gordon was tearing through his drawers for his notepad before se had even finished speaking. Three days. He only had three days to… to what? He paused, notebook pages covered in doodles of his new suit flapping as he tried to control himself and think.

'_We'll be waiting when you're ready to come home.'_

Ok. Ok, he needed to be calm. He flopped back onto the bed and looked at the pages in his hand. He needed to write to them… he needed them to know… to know what? He heaved a huge sigh and sat there for the longest time before he pulled the pen from the spiral of the notebook and smoothed out a clean page.

_Dear Everyone,_

_Saw you on TV John. Going into space? Always knew you would…_

X

_no, you won't get to read his letter this time, he's a little too shaken up for you to peek. You'll get a surprise in the next chapter (whenever I get round to it) though you hopefuls will probably already have guessed it by the time I've finished it. Please review, and forgive me my long absence._


	9. The Bet

_You get a nice surprise in this one. I just hope it makes up for the shortness, sorry about that btw._

_The Bet_

It had been almost six months now since he had joined WASP, and true to Commander Shore's words, he had found the move very interesting. His suit was now finished, and after having proved it's superiority to any other underwater suit, both in terms of safty underwater, and the length of time one could stay out on patrol, which was now significantly longer, almost everyone used it. It was a proud moment for Gordon, he had even shed a tear… Well, a mock one when the other's had presented him with a mockup of a prize certificate.

Jenna and Leo had gotten a good laugh out of that one.

He had settled in well enough. It was still a bit weird to have no one around his own age there, but he was managing well enough. And after he had seen John's launch on TV, he had started to watch the news a bit more, bought a few more newspapers, and if he happened to come across something on one of his brother's, or his fathers, he would save it. It had only just struck him that he was missing out on their achievements, and he wasn't sure if they would have bothered to store those memories for him when he did go back.

And he would… He would…

He just didn't know exactly how to anymore. It wasn't quite as easy as his imagination had once led him to believe it would be. Where he would just breeze back in, tell everyone what he had accomplished, and everything would be fine.

Now he realised it would be a little more difficult. His father would be really angry, Scott too probably. Alan would most likely be hurt. Virgil could be either angry or hurt. John? Gordon wasn't sure about him, John always surprised him.

But as it was, at that particular moment Gordon was not thinking about his family, more interested in learning exactly how to fix the one man submarines engine. Listening with half an ear to the radio, which was broadcasting all about the Olympics that were coming up soon. Stifling a sigh as he remembered when he had tried out for the Olympic swimming team.

"What's with the sigh?" the bulky man beside him asked.

Gordon looked at him and shrugged, smiling disarmingly. "Nothing, just remembering when I tried out for them."

"Fer what?" Another man asked, who was tinkering with a water rider off to the side.

"The Olympics." Gordon answered.

The man snorted in disbelief. "Ya didn't."

Gordon laughed, not taking offence at the disbelief, he liked these two men, they had taught him a lot.

"Now Todd, you don't know if he has or not, He might well of done. You've seen the way he swims."

"Thanks Bob." Gordon grinned.

"Well I don't believe him. I never saw him on the swim team." Todd pointed out.

"I pulled something in my shoulder after the first qualifier to see who'd be on the team." Gordon told them, all the truth.

"Bet ya didn't." Todd countered.

Gordon took the challenge. "Bet I did. And I bet I still could."

"Well I bet you couldn't even make it past the first qualifier."

"How much?" Gordon asked with a grin.

"$100." was Todd's offer.

"Done. Bob, can you hold the money?" Gordon asked, mischief clearly dancing in his eyes.

Bob, who had been watching with a put upon sigh agreed. "Fine."

Gordon returned to tinkering with the engine of the submarine. He would pull the $100 out of his savings next chance he got. This was going to be an easy win.

"You're going to lose your money." Bob pointed out quietly to Todd when he was sure Gordon wasn't listening.

Todd smiled widely. "I know, but it'll be good to watch doncha think?"

Bob chuckled quietly with his friend as they watched the boy they had all come to see as their 'little brother' grinning about his easy win.

X

It took blue eyes a few second glances before they finally sparked in recognition and widened. Blond hair was pushed up and out of said eyes and the face that held them moved closer to the television set as they sought to be absolutely sure of what they were seeing.

Yep. He was seeing what he thought he was seeing.

"DAD!!!!" He screamed, much louder than was ever permitted within the house.

The scream got the expected results and all his brothers tumbled into the room, each trying to work out what had made their youngest brother scream like he had. He ignored their questions, keeping his eyes firmly glued to the TV, waiting for his father to show up.

"What was the shouting all about?"

A finger pointed straight at the TV, which was showing a large swimming pool, with a good sized crowd in the stands, a few TV reporters dotted about, and the hopefuls for the Olympic swim team lined up on the opposite side.

All other eyes turned to the TV and frowned.

"What is it?"

Refusing to look away from the screen he jabbed his finger at it again. "Third one on the right."

Everyone looked, but the screen did not give a good look at the person, just that it was one, a man at that, wearing black Speedo's.

"Alan?" His father said, becoming annoyed.

Alan sighed in frustration. "It's Gordon!"

There was a long silence, into which the news reporter droned on and on about the history of the water Olympics.

"Oh Alan," he heard John whisper.

Alan could imagine them sharing sorrowful looks behind him. But he didn't have any time for their disbelief. "I'm telling you, it's Gordon. Wait until they do the close-ups again."

"Alan, he ran away, why would he show up on TV when he knows we watch it. It'd be a dead giveaway." Scott pointed out.

"He said in his note that he was going to 'prove a point' remember, maybe this is it?" John pointed out quietly, not sure whether to believe Alan or not.

"Oh, and he had to run away to do that?" Virgil demanded to know. "Beside's, none of those people has red hair."

"Of course he doesn't have red hair!" Alan stated. "He obviously dyed it when he left. It's black now."

Jeff was silent, not wanting to discount his youngest son's claims. Not if there was even the remotest possibility that it could be Gordon. He watched the screen and waited for the close ups, ignoring the mutterings of Virgil.

Finally the much waited for moment occurred, and the camera began to slowly sweep across the group of hopefuls. Unconsciously each person in the room bean to lean forward, waiting for it to reach the one Alan had pointed out.

"Good God!" John breathed.

"That little bastard!" Virgil bit out viciously.

"Gordon." Scott murmured.

"Son…" Jeff whispered, eyes glued to the screen willing it to stay there, not to move on to the next person in line.

Finally it did move on, and the whole room exploded into activity.

"We need to call the police, tell them to get in there and get him!" Scott began.

"He's eighteen Scott, they can't do anything, and neither can we if he doesn't want to come back." John said.

"We can't do nothing!" Scott exploded angrily. "And I've had enough of your 'Come home when your ready' that's giving him an excuse not to face us!"

John got to his feet, eyes flashing, it wasn't often he got drawn into a fight, but he'd allow himself this one. "As opposed to your totalitarian approach. Get the police in to hold him until we can get there? Dammit Scott, he'd be less likely to talk to you than spit on you if you did that. You know what he's like!"

"Obviously I don't, I never expected him to run away!"

"He should just stay gone!" Virgil added his two cents.

John froze and turned to him. "You don't mean that." he accused.

Virgil held his gaze steadily. "He left us remember. We didn't make him go. If he wants to stay gone then let him."

"No!" Scott asserted. "We drag him back here and we make him tell us what the hell he was thinking!"

"That won't help matters. You know how stubborn he is." John continued to try and make them see reason. "And I know you don't mean you want him to stay gone Virgil!"

"Yes I do!" Virgil insisted. "His leaving tore us to pieces. I don't want him to come back!"

"I do." Scott seethed. "And when I have him he's going to tell me what he was thinking, and if I don't like the answer I'm going to kick his ass from here to Timbuktu and back again. And then I'm going to beat him within an inch of his life for leaving like that and making us worry."

John looked at them helplessly. "Dad--" he began pleadingly, turning to his father, only to find him staring into the middle distance, a look on his face that John could clearly remember from the day they had found Gordon's note.

They had searched Gordon's computer for anything that could help them work out where he had gone, each hoping to find something, and begging that when they did it would not be something from one of those perverts who drew children away from their families. But they had found nothing. Absolutely nothing. And none of them had known whether to take that as a blessing or a curse.

"Dad?" he said more softly, moving away from his brothers and towards his father, crouching down so he could see him better. He wasn't shocked to find tears swimming in his father's eyes.

Scott and Virgil had fallen silent and were watching them.

"He's up now." Alan said, breaking the strained silence that had fallen.

And indeed he was, getting ready to show the judges just what he was made of. All eyes turned to the TV and watched.

"Remember how happy he was when he won this the last time?" John asked quietly, earning a quiet chuckle and some murmurs of agreement.

"He was real disappointed when he found he wouldn't be able to continue." Scott added.

Silence again.

"I hope he get's through." Alan said.

Jeff watched the screen, avidly watching his son, remembering all the swimming competitions he had been willingly dragged along to, and the look of sheer delight on his face when he found he's won anything, be it first place or third. And he remembered the look on his face when he'd asked _'Are you disappointed in me dad?'_.

He'd never really answered that question; at least not in the way Gordon seemed to have wanted him to. Yes, he had been disappointed in the situation Gordon had gotten himself into, but he had never been disappointed with his son, not in any way that meant anything. He was incredibly proud of all his son's, even Gordon… His mouth turned upwards at one side into a sad half smile. Especially Gordon.

When Gordon won there was a mass of cheering from the crowd on screen. But the Tracy's were silent, each waiting for someone else to break the silence. Each waiting for the reporters to get a hold of Gordon to speak to. Each waiting to hear Gordon's voice for the first time in years.

The letter's he had sent them all at one time or another had done nothing to assuage their fears for him, anyone could write a letter and make it say whatever they wanted, and though each of them had hoped desperately that he was ok, no mater how many time's he had written that he was fine they still worried, still feared the worst.

Finally the reporter for the channel they were watching, managed to catch up to Gordon, pulling him in front of the camera, which Gordon looked completely surprised to see.

Not bothering to really listen to what the woman was saying, though it was filed away in their memories for a later time, they studied Gordon as closely as they could. He was taller than they remembered him, his hair now black, but not that there was a closer close up than earlier they could see red roots showing. His eyes were blue, but coloured contacts could explain that away. He looked ok, no obvious scars or bruises anywhere. He had a tattoo, on his left upper arm, of a fish it seemed.

"_--anything you'd like to say to the folks at home?"_ the reporter asked.

Gordon looked at the camera, and everyone in the Tracy living-room would swear they saw something in his eyes then, they just weren't sure what. _"Um…Hi."_ and he waved.

So totally and utterly Gordon, that Alan started laughing, and couldn't stop despite the glares he was getting from his brothers. Finally, after he had spent a minute cracking up he stopped and sighed deeply. "I miss him." he said, mostly to himself.

"Know the feeling kiddo." Virgil whispered.

Clearing his throat, Jeff spoke, slowly, and thickly. "Get the date and times of the next qualifier." he said.

"We're going to go?" Scott asked.

Jeff nodded.

John smiled.

Alan cheered.

Virgil muttered something, most likely unpleasant, but even he couldn't mask his relief at seeing Gordon was alright.

Now all Jeff had to do was try and work out if he wanted to kiss or kill his son when he next saw him.

X

_There now. Did I handle the family alright or could I have done something more? What I'm really asking is if you thought it was believable enough. I know how it feels to have somene missing for a night, but no idea ow a family reacts two years later. I hope it was ok though._

_Now, please review. Please. see, I'm working hard, getting more chapters done, don't I deserve some love? please review. _


	10. Olympics Again

_A/N: Should have put this at the end of the last one, but I forgot. I know nothing about the Olympics, I don't watch them, I don't enjoy them, all I know is that Gordon's bio (which I read years ago when I started this) said he won a medal at the Olympics, so it's going into the story. So whatever I write about them is probably going to be wrong. Not that we'll hear anymore about that after this chapter, which I think you can all reasonably guess what's going to happen. -Happy grin-_

_Olympics Again_

"She's an Aquaphibian as well, right?" Gordon asked, nodding towards the silent woman Captain Troy was talking to.

Bob looked across and nodded. "Near as we can figure. He calls her a mermaid, but…" he shrugged expansively, and Gordon understood.

"She's like Scenchia isn't she?" he pressed further.

Bob looked at him speculatively. "How do you know about him?"

Gordon shrugged easily. "Ran into him a few times, hoping the next time I do is going to be his last." He didn't mean for it to come out as viciously as it did.

Bob gave him a long and considering look, and changed the topic. "So, when's your next qualifier?"

"Saturday."

"You been practicing?"

"All the time, Bob, you know me." He flashed him a grin. Bob snorted and went back to his work. Gordon kept his eyes on the woman; Marina, and wondered why she and Scenchia looked so different to their green skinned, and aquatic looking brethren. He made a note to ask Commander Shore about it the next time he was speaking with the man.

"Fish! Call for you!" the shout rang out across the yard, and Gordon went to answer it. Going back to his rooms he grinned when he saw Leo and Jenna crowed into the space in front of the screen.

"We have some good news for you Gordo!" Leo grinned.

Gordon grinned. "You two have finally had sex, so I won't have to listen to your UST anymore?" he asked innocently.

Jenna glared, and smacked Leo across the head when he snickered. "Don't be an ass Gordon." She told him primly. "Or we might not come see you this Saturday."

Gordon's eyes lit up. "You got the day off?" he asked.

Leo nodded enthusiastically. "Unless there's going to be some serious thing, we're all going, Taylor, Boyle, Collette and us."

"That's brilliant!" Gordon cheered.

"Thought you'd like that." Jenna smiled.

Gordon couldn't wait until Saturday.

X

"Dad, are we doing the right thing?"

Jeff frowned across at the door to his room, where John was standing, playing nervously with the sleeve of his shirt. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"This." John elaborated. "Confronting Gordon like this. Is it the right thing to do?" Jeff frowned, and his son sighed deeply. "I want to see him as much as you do. I want to find out why he left, and why he thought he couldn't come back. But I just think… I think maybe confronting him might just push him further away."

"John." Jeff said warningly.

John refused to look at him. "I don't like it dad. I hate what I'm saying with every single part of myself. But someone has to say it, and I know I'm the only one who's bothered to think about the possibility." He looked up finally, but dropped his eyes almost immediately. "We're all just assuming that Gordon's going to just come home with us. That he'll just drop everything, beg our forgiveness and come home. Like he hasn't spent three years out there being someone else, making a whole new life for himself. One that doesn't have us in it."

"So you're saying we shouldn't go?" Jeff asked, feeling sick, he hadn't even considered the possibility that Gordon might not want to come home.

"No! No, that's not what I meant… I just… I just think we ought to be prepared. In… incase he doesn't want to come back."

Jeff sat on his bed, and stared distantly at the floor. "But why… why wouldn't he want to come home. In his letters…"

John swallowed and came to settle beside him. "Three years is a long time dad. He might be scared. I just. It just came to me last night, and it's a possibility that I had to raise. I don't like it anymore than you do."

Jeff nodded tiredly, reaching over to pull John into a one armed hug.

X

Gordon didn't even notice them until after his qualifier; when he was changed and surrounded by his friends from the Seals, and Todd who was grumbling something about the money he would most likely be losing. Gordon was too busy grinning and basking in his victory to do more than gaze dizzily around him. But all that froze on the spot when he did see them clustered nervously no more than twenty feet away, all eyes on his hungrily.

He switched to pure panic mode in an instant.

"Fish, what the hell?" Boyle snapped.

Gordon swallowed hard. "My… my family. I can't… shit! Let's just get out of here please!" he begged softly.

Jenna looked round frowning. "Your family?" Gordon could see the exact moment she caught on and he back peddled quickly, spinning on his heel and walking as quickly as he could in the opposite direction. He couldn't face them. He'd thought he would be able to. Every stray thought of meeting them again was filled with hugs and smiles; not those desperate hungry looks, and not with the fear that was flashing through him right now.

Thankfully his friends did not question him further, just followed him quietly, forming a protective circle, and got out and into the van in the parking lot.

"The Tracy's?" Jenna asked, though it came out as more of a statement than a question. "You're fucking Gordon Tracy!" she accused.

Gordon suddenly wished he wasn't there. This was too much. But there was no point lying anymore. "Yeah, yeah I am."

Leo whistled, long and low. "But that makes you only…"

"Nearly 19." Gordon affirmed.

"Does Commander Shore know?" Todd asked briskly.

Gordon shut his eyes, refusing to look up at any of them and nodded slowly.

"That's something then." Todd said.

There was complete silence, and Gordon began to fidget, keeping his eyes deliberately lowered, not wanting to see the faces of the people he had looked to for security for so long. Finally he heard Jenna sigh.

"It explains some stuff now." She said quietly.

"Gordon Tracy." Taylor sighed.

"Shows how good out observation skills are." Boyle added.

"What now?" Leo asked.

Gordon stayed silent; waiting. For what he didn't quite know. But he was waiting.

"We get Gordon home." Todd said easily. "Because I think he has some serious thinking to do."

And that was the end of it.

X

As the Olympics progressed Gordon looked to drop out more than once, especially when he knew his family would be there, watching him. But Todd refused to let him back out of their bet. No one had said anything after that day, but his calls with Leo and Jenna were stilted and uncomfortable.

It was a big adjustment. He understood that.

But he didn't know what to do? Or who to speak to. It was weeks later, and the main event was looming over his head, and the overwhelming fear that his family would be there, when he finally plucked up the courage to go to Commander Shore.

He explained the situation as much as he could, explained everything, and the Commander listened intently, and waited patiently for him to finish, before leaning back in his chair and giving Gordon an appraising look.

"Did I ever tell you how I knew your father?" he asked after a moment of considering silence.

Gordon shook his head mutely.

"I met Jeff Tracy when he was 17, and trying to bluff his way into the air force. This was long before WASP, and I was still in the Navy. We were in talks at the time about some aircraft we wanted on the ships. I was just along as guard detail. I ended up talking with your father; he told me all about a fight he'd had with his parents about him joining the air force. Your grandfather had been a pilot before he was injured, and your grandmother hadn't wanted your father to end up the same way. So he'd run away from home, intending to join anyway and prove that he could make his own decisions about his future. I listened to him, and do you know what I told him?"

Gordon shook his head, wide eyed.

"I told him to talk to his parents. Even if he decided not to return home, he should at least talk to them."

Gordon swallowed. "So what should I do sir?" he asked, feeling tears prick at his eyes.

Commander Shore smiled. "I think you should talk to them Gordon. You're a grown man now, and you need to let them see that. And you need to explain. You all need to heal from the experience I think."

Gordon nodded slowly, and quietly returned to his rooms.

He spent the night staring at the vidphone, trying to make the number for home dial itself. Too afraid to lift his hand to press the buttons himself.

X

He'd won the gold.

But though he smiled and accepted it; there was a hollow feeling in his stomach the whole time, as his eyes swept the crowd of people, hoping and dreading to see his family in the stands. It was a sick mix of relief, shame and disappointment when he didn't see them. So he got his medal, he smiled and he posed for the pictures, he told the press he was ecstatic with his win, and then he disappeared into the changing rooms.

"Congratulations."

Gordon spun round, eyes wide, hand automatically going to where his knife usually was, but it was not there and he cursed.

"You swim beautifully."

Gordon swallowed, but turned fully, settling himself in preparation for a fight. Eyes darting, searching for the source of that hated voice.

"I'm sure you'll drown beautifully too."

The door of the changing rooms opened and closed, and Gordon dived out of the cubicle he'd been in and rushed to the door, shoving it open, only to be brought up short by his family.

"Did a man come out here?" he asked, too agitated to really notice who was in front of him.

"Gordon…"

Gordon frowned and pushed past them to see down the corridor, but could see no one. He swept his gaze over them. "Did a man come out of the changing room before me?"

"Yeah." Alan said in startled surprise. "But… Gordon…"

Gordon looked at them, and felt his heart twinge, and he knew he needed to talk to them, he owed them that much; but right now he needed to find Scenchia, he needed to deal with the biggest problem first. "I'm sorry." He said voice tight and cold. "I have a job to do." And he took off in a run down the corridor, pulling his phone from his pocket as he went.

Knew he was being a coward. Knew he didn't have to go after Scenchia himself. But it was a convenient excuse to avoid the inevitable confrontation with his family; and right now he would use it. He wasn't ready. He hated that a part of him might never be ready.

He shoved those thoughts aside when the phone was picked up. "Scenchia is on Olympic grounds right now. No visual, but I'm certain it's him."

X

_Ok, chapter 10 finished. I am sorry for the really long wait. I hope this makes up for it. I know It might seem a little extreme for Gordon to react this way, but, as I had John try to explain, three years is a long time; Gordon's been away from them for so long, that he's just scared to go back, scared to see how much they've changed, and how much he's changed. He's afraid he'll never be able to fit back in with them._


	11. Calling Home

_Woooooo! Next chapter! And it didn't take me 3 years this time! Lol. I've been doing some thinking about the story, and I've decided that there shouldn't be too many more chapters, by my reckoning, there should only be another 4 at the very most, and hopefully I can have it finished fairly soon in that case, so long as I can keep up my current writing schedule. What happens in this chapter should also be obvious from the title._

_Calling Home_

Six weeks of non stop searching for Scenchia had occupied all of Gordon's time; he barely ate or slept as he threw himself into trying to find Scenchia. The added bonus, of course, was that he simply did not have the time to think about his family or about the situation at all. He had no time to worry about Leo and Jenna's continued awkwardness around him; and for a little while he could forget that everyone knew who he was, and just be Gordon Miller again. Just plain Gordon Miller, who didn't have problems like the one's Gordon Tracy did.

When the six weeks were over Gordon was left drained and tired, and very unsatisfied. Nothing had come from the search at all, and Gordon had been left more than a little stressed. Commander Shore had ordered him to take some leave, and had strongly suggested that Gordon use the time to reconnect with his family.

Gordon had done the cowardly thing and signed up for the Submarine Tour's; he's made his case to Commander Shore, a tour in the submarines would give him the leave time he had been ordered to take, as well as letting him start his Oceanography degree he had been toying with the idea of applying to do. The material was taught during the tour, and all he would have to do was the exams when he returned to base at the end.

It was a popular course with the members of WASP, and Commander Shore could hardly refuse him the chance to do the course, and come out with more than just the required Essential skills certificates he had had to take to prove he could do at least basic GCSE English and Math's.

A standard WASP Submarine Tour lasted a full year; the course required a year's worth of hands on dedication, and Gordon was more than happy to do it. Searching the wide ocean for new things as yet undiscovered, and taking some time away from the looming presence of his family and the hidden shadow of Scenchia. And he was still doing his job, which was also a good thing.

The first month he threw himself head first into the course studies, joining the trainer on swims, listening intently to everything about the ocean that he did know before, spending his evenings pouring over the study guides, and doing his best to ignore the headaches he got from reading the material to long (making sense of what was on the page was more accurate), but he was getting there.

It wasn't until month two that his eyes kept straying to the vidphone in the corner of the bunk room, freely available to use by all the crew. He'd seen everyone use it at least once since coming on board, always to call their family, or someone waiting for them back on shore.

He steadfastly tried to ignore it, as if the longing in him would go away if he did.

By month three he had plucked up the courage to dial the number for home; but when he heard it ring just once, he lost his nerve and hung up. He refused to look at the machine for three days, before he couldn't help himself and tried again. He managed four rings the second time before he hung up in a panic.

About a quarter of the crew on the sub was on board for the training; another quarter simply for ocean study, the remaining half was onboard for security purposes, locating and documenting possible Aquaphibian areas and similar things. Gordon too took note, and sometimes he took patrols with them; always a little bit tense, as if Scenchia was going to appear and make good on this threats to kill him.

By the end of month three he had managed to let the phone be answered before he hung up and buried himself in his bunk and cried himself silently to sleep. Ashamed of how hard it was for him to just talk to his family.

The next time he tried, he made sure he was completely alone, and waited, willing himself to be man enough to speak this time. Just as the call was accepted he reached out and hit the audio only button; knowing that if he saw whoever was on the other side that his nerve would go completely.

"Hello?"

Gordon swallowed thickly. His father.

"Hello?" there was a pause, and Gordon knew his dad was waiting for a picture to appear on screen, or for someone to speak. "Gordon?" there was so much hope in that one rendition of his name, that Gordon couldn't hold back a choked sob and reached out and disconnected the call.

It got easier after that; calling on audio only, and listening to the voice of whoever picked up the phone. Even if he never found the courage to speak himself. If it was Alan, he would hear several funny stories about what his brothers had been doing in his absence, as if he was only on holiday and would be coming home any day, and he found himself smiling around the lump in his throat sometimes. If it was John, he would hear all about what he had been doing in space, and he would tell him, softly and easily that they missed him and when he was ready, they'd all be ready to welcome him.

The one time he'd gotten Virgil, the call was silent after Virgil's initial hello's, only the faint drumming of Virgil's finger on the table the vidphone sat on could be heard. Gordon only hung up because another crew mate wanted the use the phone. Scott had been explosive, and Gordon had been glad of the soundproofed booth the vidphone sat in, as he was called every name under the sun, and everything had been questioned. Gordon had listened, silent as always, and filed every comment away, knowing they were all true and that he deserved every word. Then Scott had stopped, and just asked him to come home.

Since the first time, he hadn't heard his father's voice on the other end of the phone; so when he called late one night, and his father answered, he decided that now was the time to talk.

X

Jeff Tracy had not taken a single one of Gordon's calls since that night when he'd heard his lost son sob and the dial tone shriek. He'd stood just outside the door during every call, listening to his son's take the calls, wishing that just once, Gordon would speak. But he never did. A month's worth of calls passed in this fashion before Jeff could sit himself in front of the vidphone, and pray that Gordon would call.

When the phone rang, he hesitated just for a moment before accepting it, and said "Hello." Keeping his voice as steady as he could. "Gordon?"

There was silence, and Jeff closed his eyes, resigned to it now.

"Ye… Yeah dad, it's me."

The voice sounded so hesitant, so unlike the Gordon he remembered that Jeff was barely able to check his own sob at the sound. What had he done to his son? Why had he let it get this far. He could have prevented this, all he'd had to do was tell Gordon the truth, three years ago he should have just told the truth.

"Gordon." He whispered.

He could hear him shifting over the phone, and wished he would turn on the screen. He wanted to see him. Needed to see him again.

"Dad… I… I need to…" he could hear the frustration in his sons voice, and it made him want to smile, but this feeling of grief was crushing down on him, so he couldn't. He reached out and touched the blank screen.

"Gordon. I should have told you this before." He said, not letting Gordon continue. "I should have said this before you ever got it into your head to leave. I'm proud of you Gordon, I always have been, and nothing, _nothing_ in the whole world is ever going to change that, or ever could."

The silence hung heavy for a long, drawn out moment.

Then the screen flickered to life, and Jeff was looking at Gordon for the first time in months, red roots very obvious now in contrast to the black dye, green eyes wet with tears. "I'm sorry." He said.

Jeff shook his head. "No Gordon, no. I'm sorry. I never should have let it get so far, I should have…"

"Dad." Gordon said, and Jeff stopped and looked at his son. "Dad please, just stop. It's not your fault. I'm the one that left. I'm the one that messed up." He looked off to the side and shut his eyes tight.

Jeff swallowed hard. "Gordon, where are you?" he wanted to know if his son would come home soon.

Gordon looked back at him, a ghost of a grin on his face that faded quickly. "In a sub a thousand miles away from home." He said quietly.

"A Submarine?" Jeff asked, surprised.

Gordon nodded. "Yeah. I joined the Navy."

Jeff was shell shocked, and he could see the concern and fear wash over Gordon's face when he saw his expression, but all Jeff could think was that his son was far more resourceful that he had ever been at 16. Joining the Navy was no mean feat, and it was not one he should have had to go through without his family to support him.

"Dad I…" Gordon trailed off, clearly not sure what he could say, and clearly frightened of his father's reaction.

Jeff shook himself. "The Navy?"

Gordon nodded slowly, looking wary.

"Why the Submarine Corp?" he asked, Jeff knew little about the Navy, but he did know they had a submarine corp.

Gordon shrugged. "Doing a degree in Oceanography." He said.

Jeff could see his eyes darting, he was clearly growing more and more uncomfortable, and when he suddenly said. "Someone else is looking to use the phone. I have to go Dad." Jeff let him have the lie. Just glad he had had the chance to speak to him son for even a short while. But that didn't stop his feelings of failure crashing down on him in a wave that left him weeping for hours after the call.

X

Things didn't get easier all at once. It was over a month and a half later of regular calls before Gordon felt comfortable enough to start behaving a little more like himself, sharing a joke with Alan, telling an amusing story from his time with the Navy; carefully leaving out anything about WASP, Scenchia or the fact that he had killed people. He was acutely aware that he was very much different from the Gordon they had known, and he didn't want them to look at him like he was a monster; so he hid that part of himself that could do those things.

But over time things did finally get easier, and by the time Christmas was over, he had promised to come home to see them. It was almost like he was part of the family again, and he hoped the rest would slot into space when he went to see them in person.

The remaining months went by paradox idly slow and fast at the same time. Too slow when he was waiting anxiously for the year to be up so he could see his family again, and too fast when the panic set in and he realized he would be going home. When not sleeping, eating or talking with his family, Gordon was completely immersed in the world of Oceanography, and even though the written work was hard, his trainer was pleased with his progress.

The Year was up in, looking back, seemed like no time at all; and he was given a week to rest up before the exams. He was doubly nervous as the time for the exams approached, because he would be going to see his family the day after he finished. Commander Shore had beamed at him when he'd mentioned going home.

X

Gordon smoothed down his dress uniform. It might have been a little silly to wear it home, and he had all his regular clothes packed in his hold all. But he wanted to make a good impression, to show everyone that he wasn't that stupid, joker, kid he had been. That he was grown up now, and was successful in his own way.

It was early, just past dawn. Too early for anyone to be up; so Gordon waited outside the front door, afraid to use the key he'd kept hidden in his wallet just in case it didn't work anymore. In case the locks had been changed.

He smoothed down his jacket again, before picking at a loose button on the sleeve, frowning in annoyance that he hadn't noticed it before now. He looked at the front door, studied it hard. It looked, like everything else, exactly the same as when he had left; as if he never had. His eyes strayed to the lock for the hundredth time and his fingers itched to try out his key; but if it didn't open the door he didn't know what he would do.

So he stood, and he fidgeted and waited for signs of life within the house.

Gordon's patience had never been very good, and half an hour had crawled by, and every second made the tension build up more and more inside him, and he couldn't stop himself pushing the doorbell. He held his breath as he waited for the door to open, straightening his jacket again, his palms sweaty with nerves.

All too soon, and not soon enough the door swung open, and Gordon saw his father there, with his brothers crowded in the doorway behind him; and then he could see nothing as his father reached forward and pulled him into a hug, warm arms encircling him, and Gordon closed his eyes and hugged back for all he was worth.

X

_There. Short I know, but it's how it came to me. Now, in Gordon's Bio, I recall something about the submarine corp. or something and Gordon was them for a year, and he did do an Oceanography course (or something similar, let's pretend it was Oceanography and that it is a real subject if it's not ok). I just combined the two. Writing this I came to realize that I think I gave Gordon rather bad dyslexia, which would explain his difficulty with school work and his headaches when he does try to read. Ah well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Not too many to go now. _

_PS: I hope I managed to do the reunion properly, and that it pleases you all. It has been a long time in coming._


End file.
